Egypt Erupts in Jubilation as Mubarak Steps Down
Moises Saman for The New York Times
Crowds in Tahrir Square in Cairo reacted to the announcement on Friday. More Photos »
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK and ANTHONY SHADID
Published: February 11, 2011
CAIRO — Egypt erupted in a joyous celebration of the power of a long repressed people on Friday as President Hosni Mubarak resigned his post and ceded control to the military, ending his nearly 30 years of autocratic rule.
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Related
The Lede Blog: Latest Updates on Egypt’s Protests (February 11, 2011)
Quiet Worries as Israel Watches an Ally Depart (February 12, 2011)
Text: Obama’s Remarks on the Resignation of Mubarak(February 12, 2011)
Text of Omar Suleiman’s Address (February 12, 2011)
DOCUMENT: Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces: Statements and Key Leaders
Related in Opinion
Friedman: Postcard From a Free Egypt (Feb. 11, 2011)
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Kristof Blog: Avoiding a New Pharaoh (Feb. 11, 2011)
ROOM FOR DEBATE
What Will the Egyptian Military Do?
With Mubarak’s departure, will the army take power or push for democratic change?
Join the DiscussionShouts of “God is Great” competed with fireworks and car horns around Cairo after Mr. Mubarak’s vice president and longtime intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, announced during evening prayers that Mr. Mubarak had passed all authority to a council of military leaders, bowing to a historic popular uprising that has transformed politics in Egypt and around the Arab world.
Protesters hugged and cheered and shouted, “Egypt is free!” and “You’re an Egyptian, lift your head.”
“He’s finally off our throats,” said one protester, Muhammad Insheemy. “Soon, we will bring someone good.”
The departure of the 82-year-old Mr. Mubarak, at least initially to his coastal resort home in Sharm el-Sheik, was a pivotal turn in a nearly three-week revolt that has upended one of the Arab’s world’s most enduring dictatorships. The popular protests — peaceful and resilient despite numerous efforts by Mr. Mubarak’s legendary security apparatus to suppress them — ultimately deposed an ally of the United States who has been instrumental in helping to carry out American policy in the region for decades.
Mr. Mubarak’s fall also came three weeks to the day after a sudden revolt in Tunisia toppled another enduring strongman, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia — a domino effect that may upend conventional wisdom about the passivity of the Arab street and the staying power of authoritarian governments in the region. Monarchies and one-party dictatorships still hold sway in many countries in the region, including Syria, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Yemen.
“Taking into consideration the difficult circumstances the country is going through, President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak has decided to leave the post of president of the republic and has tasked the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to manage the state’s affairs,” Mr. Suleiman, grave and ashen, said in a brief televised statement.
President Obama reacted to the news Friday afternoon with effusive praise for the Egyptian people, especially its youth. “Egyptians have inspired us, and they’ve done so by putting the lie to the idea that justice is best gained through violence,” he said.
Mr. Mubarak’s departure came after a 24-hour period that mixed celebration and anger, as Egypt and the outside world at first anticipated Mr. Mubarak’s imminent resignation on Thursday afternoon, then recoiled in outrage when he continued to cling to power in a combative televised address Thursday night.
Whether Mr. Mubarak’s speech represented a real attempt to hold on to power, or a prideful, deluded assertion of influence in defiance of political reality, was not immediately clear. But Obama administration officials said Friday that Egyptian officials explained that Mr. Mubarak had in fact been removed from his posts in favor of a military council and that the transfer of power was well under way.
The shift leaves the military in charge of this nation of 80 million, facing insistent calls for fundamental democratic change and open elections. The military has repeatedly promised to respond to the demands of protesters. But it has little recent experience in directly governing the country, and will have to defuse demonstrations and labor strikes that have paralyzed the economy and left many of the country’s institutions, including state news media and the security forces, in shambles.
Shortly before the announcement of Mr. Mubarak’s departure, the military issued acommuniqué pledging to carry out a variety of constitutional reforms in a statement remarkable for its commanding tone. The military’s statement mentioned Mr. Mubarak’s earlier delegation of power to Mr. Suleiman, but also suggested that it would oversee implementation of the reforms.
Among Egypt’s scattered but triumphant opposition, the initial reaction to Mr. Mubarak’s departure and the military’s assertion of authority was ecstatic.
“Egypt is going to be a fully democratic state,” said Wael Ghonim, the Google executive who helped organize the youth-led protests and became one of the movement’s most prominent spokesmen. “You will be impressed.”
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