Egypt's SCAF reiterates commitment to power handover

Candidates can register to run  for them from March 10 Cairo – Akram Ali Egypt’s ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) on Monday reiterated its commitment to handing over power after a meeting to discuss the ongoing clashes around the Ministry of Interior (MoI) between protesters and riot police. Preparations for the presidential elections have been sped up while candidates can register to run  for them from March 10, according to Judge Abdel Moaz Ibrahim, the High Elections Commission (HEC) chief.
The SCAF also reaffirmed the realisation of a previously announced timeline regarding the handover of power to a democratically elected civilian authority, Egypt’s state television reported on Monday.
“We feel the concerns of the people over the security situation, and thus will continue helping the police in this regard,” the military council said in a statement.
It also called for ignoring rumours that aim to tarnish the image of the armed forces, which stood by the people during the January 25 revolution.
The council stressed its support for an independent judiciary and the importance of prompt justice.
“The military council asked Monday to open the door for candidacy for the presidential elections as soon as possible. There wasn’t any suitable date except March 10, after the completion of the Shura Council elections,” HEC chief Ibrahim told state owned Al-Ahram after a meeting with SCAF Head Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi.
Earlier on Monday, Egypt’s state news agency MENA reported that Tantawi urged preparations for presidential elections be completed quickly, a sign that the transition to civilian rule could be accelerated.
Tantawi’s remarks came during his meeting with some of Egypt’s senior judges, including the head of the Constitutional Court, the vice president of the State Council and the vice president of the Court of Cassation, along with Ibrahim, who heads of the Court of Appeal.
Ibrahim added that HEC members will meet on Tuesday or Wednesday to discuss preparations for the presidential vote.
The move was an attempt to ease the country’s political crisis, which escalated after last week’s violence, in which 74 people were killed following a football match in Port Said.