What do Egyptians want?

Members of the Kefaya democracy movement prote...Image via Wikipedia
Washington Post:

Egyptians across this capital city expressed grave disappointment that President Hosni Mubarak was still their president on Saturday but, in protests spreading across Cairo, shouted their hope that he won't be for much longer.

One day after the most serious demonstration in Egypt's modern history, protesters appeared to have free rein as they swarmed a city devoid of police and littered with the burned-out hulks of armored personnel carriers.

There were no immediate reports of fresh violence Saturday, but at midday the army issued a statement asserting that anyone gathered in Cairo's main squares would be treated as a criminal.

The Egyptian capital descended into near-anarchy Friday night, as the government sent riot police, and then the army, to quell protests by tens of thousands of demonstrators. Since they deployed, Egyptian soldiers have remained steadfastly neutral and protesters have been imploring the troops to join their cause.

But the statement Saturday suggested that the army intends to attempt what the police could not do: Quell a movement of tens of thousands of Egyptians who are demanding Mubarak's immediate resignation.

"We're not going to stop until Mubarak leaves Egypt. We won't accept anything less," said Dalia Fou-ad, 29, who said she had participated in this week's protests and would continue to do so.

...
About the only thing clear is that they want Mubarak gone. What would replace him is still up for grabs and creating a transitional government would be no easy thing. The Egyptian government is clearly not the worst one on the region. Iran and Libya are both much worse regimes. Yet those two may be the model for the replacement, especially if the Muslim Brotherhood is allowed to take over.

The army, hopefully, would not let that happen. It has a professional leadership and they could provide some stability while a new government is formed. They may not be what all Egyptians want, but it is probably the best they could hope for.
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