CAIRO (MCT) — Egypt plunged deeper into political crisis just eight days before elections, as security forces attacked protesters and torched their tents Sunday in unrest that appears headed toward a second uprising, this time against Egypt’s military rulers.
Thousands of young Egyptians battled security forces for a second day in the streets surrounding Tahrir Square, the nerve center of the revolt that brought down President Hosni Mubarak and left the military in charge of Egypt. Clashes and civil disobedience continued in Alexandria, Suez and other big cities as protesters expressed their solidarity with the capital.
By nightfall, three people were dead, hundreds were wounded, fires burned in the square, and Egyptians worried that the violence would force a delay in parliamentary elections and leave the ruling military council in power even longer.
The caretaker Cabinet issued a statement reiterating its commitment to holding elections on time, even as one of its members, Culture Minister Emad Abu Ghazi, resigned in protest of the military’s tactics.
