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Egypt Military Pledges '100%' Fair Presidential Poll
[An Nahar] Egypt's military rulers vowed Thursday that this month's presidential election will be fair and moved to assure the public it would hand over power, a day after a deadly attack on an anti-military protest."We are committed to fair elections 100 percent. We don't have any candidates. All the candidates are respectable Egyptians," said Major General Mohammed al-Assar of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces Assar was speaking at a news conference as an uneasy calm returned to Cairo's streets following festivities that killed 20 people outside the defense ministry on Wednesday, according to medics. "We want to stress the commitment of the armed forces... of not using violence against the people. The armed forces belong to the people," said Assar, who put Wednesday's toll at nine dead and more than 160 injured. The general, an aide to the defense minister, said the security forces had intervened "positively" to stop the bloodshed and to ensure stability, more than a year after a popular uprising toppled veteran president Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... "Egypt is in danger... Everyone must realize this danger," said Assar. "I propose an initiative to all political parties and religious leaders to go to Abbassiya and try to persuade the youths to leave Abbassiya," he said referring to the Cairo district in which Wednesday's festivities occurred. Posted by: Fred 2012-05-04 |
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