Egypt’s ruling military council would disappear from the political scene once the country’s new president is elected, security expert and retired general Sameh Saif al-Yazal has stressed.
He told the London-based, Saudi-funded Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper in an article published Tuesday that Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, head of Egypt’s ruling military council, would quit politics.
Tantawi would not accept a post in the government formed by the new president, Saif al-Yazal said.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces assumed power after the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak in an uprising last year. Since then, many political and revolutionary groups have voiced skepticism toward the council’s intention of handing over power.
The military council has frequently reiterated that it does not intend to stay in power, and vowed to transfer power to an elected president by the end of June.
Saif al-Yazal said the military council would be ready to hand over power next week if any of the 13 presidential candidates win outright in the first round of the election, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday. But he did predict a heated runoff.
The military doesn’t support a specific candidate, Saif al-Yazal said, arguing that if SCAF had wanted to compete for the presidency, it would have fielded one of its members after stripping him of his rank.
He rejected the notion that chaos would ensue if former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, who served under Mubarak, were elected. He said the armed forces and the Interior Ministry have a security plan to confront any turmoil during the polling process.
