Egypt’s military ruler speaks out after protests

The head of Egypt's armed forces today rejected accusations that the
military is throwing its weight behind a candidate in next month's
presidential elections a dayafter thousands of people demonstrated
against the ruling generals.
The statement from Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who leads the
military council that has ruled Egypt since Hosni Mubarak's ouster
last year, came a day after tens of thousands of Egyptians packed
Cairo's Tahrir Square to denounce military rule. Protesters accused
the generals of trying to manipulate the May presidential vote.
Speaking at a military training exercise today, Mr. Tantawi said the
armed forces are focused at the moment on handing power to an elected
civilian government, not on hanging on to power. He also insisted the
military was not picking favourites in the presidential race.
"The armed forces stand at an equal distance from all the parties
without taking sides at the expense of another party," Mr. Tantawiwas
quoted as saying by the state news agency MENA.
He also said that the military was able to respond to insults with
"violence from an iron fist,"but that the military wouldnot do so in
order to keep Egypt safe. The military hasover the past year used
deadly violence to disperseprotests against its rule.
The elections set to begin May 23 were intended to be a landmark in
Egypt's transition: the first free choosing of a president after
decades of authoritarian rule. After thepresident is installed, the
military is to hand over thepower it took after Mubarak's ouster by
the end of June.
Mr. Tantawi has insisted, however, that Egypt's new constitution be
written before the presidential vote, raising fears that the deadline
to hand over power may be pushed back.
The military, which has produced Egypt's last four presidents, is
widely viewed as trying to avoid being subject to civilian oversight.
The field marshal's remarkstoday aimed to counter allegations that the
military wants to push a candidate it favours into the presidency to
ensure its continued influence andblock dramatic reform.
This week, the election commission disqualified 10candidates,
including the top three contenders. The move enraged Islamists because
among those excluded were the Brotherhood's nominee and a favourite of
ultraconservatives known as Salafis.
Hundreds of supporters of the disqualified Salafi candidate, Hazem Abu
Ismail, rallied for a second day in Tahrir. They accused the military
of pulling levers to eliminate Abu Ismail and boost support for former
regime officials particularly former foreign minister and leading
presidential candidate Amr Moussa.

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