Mubarak Clings to Power: Protesters' Hopes for Help from Military Go Unfulfilled

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Thursday night was supposed to go down in history. Finally, after weeks of protests in central Cairo and elsewhere, demonstrators thought they had finally reached the finish line. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the country's ruler for 30 years, was finally going to bow to protesters' demands and throw in the towel.

Up to 3 million people flowed into the center of Cairo, congregating around Tahrir Square, the heart of Egypt's slow-motion revolution. Both the army and Mubarak's National Democratic Party (NDP) had hinted that the end was nigh -- representatives of the military had promised that "all the wishes" of the protesters would be fulfilled.

So they thought. Mubarak, though, had other ideas. In his widely-anticipated address on Thursday evening, he said "I will not bow to foreign pressure. I am committed to my responsibility as president." The message: Mubarak plans to cling to power until elections in September.

'Night of Disappointment'

The protesters gathered on Tahrir Square were horrified. "This is the night of disappointment," said protester Mohammed Ali, who had spent the entire evening carrying around a sign which accused Mubarak of enriching himself by "many billions of dollars." "We want an immediate end to the Mubarak regime and we don't want this old man to install his own people as his successors," Ali said.

It is a demand which will once again propel millions of Egyptians onto the streets on Friday. Already in the early morning hours, thousands of protesters had begun gathering in the heart of the capital. "It will be a day filled with suspense," protester Hamed Kalif said. "Egypt will explode," wrote Mohamed ElBaradei, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate who has become a prominent opposition figure, in his Twitter feed. With news on Friday that some officers were joining the protests and rumors that an address from the army was imminent, many had hoped on Friday morning that the military was planning to step in.

But the statement on Friday fell far short of what the demonstrators had hoped for. The military said it would guarantee free and fair elections, but did not move to remove Mubarak from office. "That is not what we would call support for our movement," demonstrator Anwar Koder told SPIEGEL ONLINE on Tahrir Squre.

"It's not about me, it is about Egypt," Mubarak said in his speech the night before, held at 10:45 p.m. local time. The 82-year-old president pledged to hand over power to Vice President Omar Suleiman and said he would introduce changes to the Egyptian constitution. But he said he would remain in office.

Following Mubarak's speech, Suleiman demanded an end to the protests. "Go back to your homes, go back to your jobs," he said. "Don't listen to the calls from abroad."

'Not Some Time in the Future, But Now'

US President Barack Obama, criticized by many for what has been seen as a hesitant approach to the demonstrations, said on Thursday that "too many Egyptians remain unconvinced that the government is serious about a genuine transition to democracy."

Berlin on Friday morning was more direct. Speaking on German public television station ZDF, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said the international community expects "that democratic change begins now. Not some time in the future, but now."

The anger among those gathered on Tahrir Square on Thursday evening was palpable. Many of them shouted with rage and waved their shoes aloft as a sign of their disrespect for Mubarak. There were several loud arguments and even shoving matches between groups of protesters over how the demonstrations should continue. Should they continue protesting through the night? Should they come back again on Friday morning? What could they do in the face of Mubarak's stubbornness?

The protests, though, have become much, much more than the youth revolt of the first few days. Egyptians of all ages and means have now joined -- and the goals of freedom and democracy seemed so close on Thursday evening. Now, Mubarak has lost any last shred of credibility that he might still have had -- and most believe that, if he stays in office until elections, the vote would be neither free nor fair.

Tense Atmosphere

Following the speech, the atmosphere in Cairo was tense. Thousands of protesters left the square and went home once Mubarak finished his address, but many elected to march to the presidential palace 20 kilometers away. And others gathered in front of the state television station which had broadcast the speech.

By midnight, the streets surrounding the station were full. Many demonstrators were concerned that the situation could turn violent. "I don't know what side the military is on," said one young protester. "And I don't know if everyone is going to remain peaceful." Indeed, following such a vast disappointment as that delivered by Mubarak, violence can certainly not be ruled out. "Army must save the country now," wrote ElBaradei on his Twitter feed.

On Friday, there were initial signs that ElBaradei's wish would be fulfilled. Rumors swirled that a statement from the military was imminent, and an army officer, Ahmed Ali Shouman, has joined demonstrators on Tahrir Square. He told Reuters that he knows of 15 additional officers who were planning to protest. "Our goals and the people's are one," he said.

His comments are consistent with speculation reported by BBC on Thursday evening that the military had urged Mubarak to resign, but that he resisted. A source told the BBC that he suspected the existence of a behind-the-scenes power struggle between Mubarak and the army.

Attempt to Provoke Protesters?

Others had darker suspicions. Why would Mubarak anger the demonstrators to such a degree on a Thursday evening, on the eve of Friday prayers which promise to trigger yet more mass demonstrations as they have in recent weeks. CNN fears that Mubarak is trying to provoke the demonstrators -- as a way of justifying a potential crackdown.

Thousands of activists late on Thursday refused to be daunted. Around midnight, the army began strengthening important strategic posts around the city. But the soldiers continued to behave in a friendly manner toward the demonstrators.

"We will see how the army reacts when we storm Mubarak's palace," one demonstrator said. He is hopeful, he said, that the soldiers would join them on the spot.