Thousands of protesters in several of Egypt’s governorates took to the streets on Friday to participate in the Muslim Brotherhood’s call for the country’s military leaders to transfer power to civilians.
In Beheira Governorate, dozens of the group members marched the streets of Damanhour city, after which they gathered to protest at al-Sa’a square, raising Brotherhood banners. Some clashed with another group of protesters carrying an anti-Brotherhood banner.
In the Dakahlia Governorate, about three thousand Salafis and Brotherhood members protested, erecting the largest stage the Mansoura City has seen since the days of the revolution.
There were altercations between protesters after a group began chanting slogans against the Muslim Brotherhood’s supreme guide Mohamed Badea and its Freedom and Justice Party presidential candidate Mohamed Morsy.
In Matrouh City, some of the supporters of the presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouhclashed with FJP protesters, after the Brotherhood supporters accused the Aboul Fotouh supporters of trying to disrupt the FJP protest.
In Alexandria, roughly two thousand Brotherhood and Jama'a al-Islamiya's Construction and Development Party supporters staged a protest in front of the Qaed Ibrahim mosque. They chanted slogans against the presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq, and the ruling Supreme Council of Armed Forces.
In Gharbia, thousands of Muslim Brotherhood members staged a protest at the governorate’s headquarters building, demanding a swift transfer of power to civilians, the removal of Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri and the current government, and an amendment to article 28 of the Constitutional Declaration, which stipulates that the Presidential Elections Commission’s decisions cannot be challenged in court.
The Brotherhood party’s former candidate Khairat al-Shater was disqualified along with ten other candidates from the presidential race by a PEC ruling earlier this month.
In Kafr al-Sheikh Governorate, FJP members of Parliament lead a protest of roughly four thousand, marching down the main streets of Kafr al-Sheikh City.
Protests were also held in Qalyubia and Sharqiya Governorates, calling for a swift transfer of power to civilians.
Muslim Brotherhood leaders said the group had called for Friday’s protests to take place in the governorates especially. They said this explained the small turnout of protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir square on Friday.
The group has called for weekly Friday protests in the name of “protecting the revolution.”
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
