Scuffles and stone-throwing broke out in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Saturday as Egypt’s military chief of staff Sami Enan was due to meet party leaders a day after protesters in the square demanded reforms.
Enan, who is also the second in command in the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), invited a range of parties, including the Muslim Brotherhood and the liberal Wafd to talk, the state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper reported.
Saturday’s meeting comes a day after thousands flocked to Tahrir to demand an end to military trials of civilians, cleansing institutions of former regime remnants, amendment of a recently published electoral law and social justice.
Trouble broke out on Saturday when protesters who said they would stay in the square until their demands are met were removed by security forces and troops, the official MENA news agency reported.
Several arrests were made after some protesters refused to move and began hurling stones at the security forces. Most groups involved in Friday’s rally had said they would not take part in the sit-in.
Around a dozen protesters had been arrested on Friday after around 300 tried to head to the defence ministry but were blocked by military police.
SCAF has been in power since president Hosni Mubarak was ousted by a popular uprising in February, and has repeatedly stressed its commitment to democracy.
But protesters have been gathering in Tahrir on an almost weekly basis to express their anger and frustration at the military’s handling of the transition.
On Tuesday, SCAF laid out the timetable for the first post-Mubarak elections, which will start on November 28 and take place over four months.
The Democratic Coalition, which groups dozens of parties including the Muslim Brotherhood and Wafd, has threatened to boycott the vote, fearing that the electoral law will help old regime figures to return to parliament.
Under Mubarak, candidates affiliated with his party used patronage or pressure to garner votes.
Activists say that a proportional list system would help avoid that, because voters would be electing candidates based on a party’s political platform, circumventing candidates’ personal power and influence.
