Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, 82, has said in a televised speech to his people that he would not seek re-election again after his current term expires in September. However, opposition leaders reiterated their demand for Mubarak – who has ruled Egypt for 30 years – to stand down immediately. Mubarak said on Tuesday night he never thought of running again in elections, but he said he would stay in the country and finish his term. It was the biggest the embattled president made so far. "My first responsibility now is to restore the stability and security of the homeland, to achieve a peaceful transition of power in an environment that will protect Egypt and Egyptians and which will allow for the responsibility to be given to whoever the people elect in the forthcoming elections," he said.
Early on Wednesday, Cairo's Tahrir Square was already packed with for a ninth day of protests against Mubarak. During the Mubarak address, demonstrators erupted in chants of "Down with Mubarak" and "The people want the president to be judged!" Some waved shoes in the air, which is considered an insult in the Arab world, and said they would continue their demonstrations until Mubarak quit outright. Mohamed ElBaradei, the Egyptian Nobel Peace Prize winner who has become a leading opposition figure, said Mubarak's decision was "an act of deception" that would only "extend the agony." But Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, a former Egyptian foreign minister, said demonstrators should weigh what Mubarak has said before responding. "I'm aware that there are certain currents in Egypt that will not see that as satisfactory and they need more," Moussa, a possible presidential contender himself, told CNN. But, he added, "I believe that there is something new that has been offered."
Tuesday's large turnout in Cairo, Alexandria and other cities across the country came despite efforts by the government to suspend rail services and to cut off cellphone and internet networks. Banks and schools have been closed during the demonstrations, teller machine screens were dark and gas stations have run out of fuel. Long lines snaked around bakeries and supermarkets as shops began to ration how much food customers could buy.
In Washington, US President Barack Obama said he had spoken with Mubarak soon after he had announced that he would not seek re-election. Obama called for an orderly transition in Egypt that should be meaningful, peaceful and that had to begin now. He said the Egyptian people were be the ones to determine their own leaders and destiny. Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan urged Mubarak on Wednesday to start a transition of power sooner rather than later. "It is very important to get over this period with a temporary administration," a Turkish news agency quoted Erdogan as saying. "People expect Mubarak to take a much different step," he added.
Unconfirmed reports suggested up to 300 people may have been killed during the protests, UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay said on Tuesday. In recent days, protests have erupted across the Arab world, e.g. in Algeria, Jordan and Sudan. In Yemen, President Ali Abdullah Saleh, made a similar pledge than Mubarak. He said on Wednesday that he would not seek to extend his presidency when his current term expires in 2013.
Eyeing protests that brought down Tunisia's leader and threaten to topple Egypt's president, Saleh also vowed not to pass on the reins of government to his son, but asked the opposition to hold down on protests. "I present these concessions in the interests of the country. The interests of the country come before our personal interests," Saleh told his parliament, Shoura Council and members of the military. "No extension, no inheritance, no resetting the clock," he said, making reference to ruling party proposals to institute term limits that had been seen as allowing him to run again.
Calls for political reform also prompted Jordanian King Abdullah II to dismiss his government on Tuesday and appoint a new prime minister.
