Military handed power as crowds celebrate after day of drama

Anti-government protesters celebrate and wave flags in Tahrir Square after the announcement that Hosni Mubarak had resigned as Egyptian president in Cairo on Friday. [Dylan Martinez / Reuters]

CAIRO - Hosni Mubarak stepped down as president of Egypt on Friday after 30 years of rule, handing power to the army and bowing to relentless pressure from a popular uprising after his military support evaporated.

Vice-president Omar Suleiman said a military council will run the affairs of the Arab world's most populous nation. A free and fair presidential election has been promised for September after a momentous 18 days that rocked Egypt.

At hearing the news, hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered in Cairo's central Tahrir Square broke down in tears, hugged each other in jubilation and chanted: "The people have brought down the regime."

Egyptians all over the country flooded the streets in celebration at the news, witnesses said. Cairo, Alexandria and other cities were full of cars honking horns and people waving flags.

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"This is the greatest day of my life," said opposition activist and Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed El Baradei, welcoming a period of power sharing between the army and the people. He told Reuters that running for president was not on his mind.

Egypt's higher military council will sack the cabinet, suspend both houses of parliament and rule with the head of the supreme constitutional court, Al Arabiya television reported.

The 82-year-old Mubarak's downfall after unprecedented mass protests is an historic victory for popular power and is sure to rock autocrats throughout the Arab world and beyond, said analysts.

United States President Barack Obama was informed in a meeting of Mubarak's decision, one that changes the course of modern Egyptian history, and he watched the television coverage from Cairo. The White House was to make a statement later on Friday.

Egypt's Vice-president Omar Suleiman said in a televised statement on Friday that Hosni Mubarak had resigned, handing power to the military. [Reuters]

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said: "The EU respects President Mubarak's decision. By standing down, he has listened to the voices of the Egyptian people and has opened the way to faster and deeper reforms.

"It is important now that the dialogue is accelerated leading to a broad-based government which will respect the aspirations of, and deliver stability for, the Egyptian people."

Egypt's powerful military gave guarantees earlier on Friday that promised democratic reforms would be carried out, although angry protesters still marched on the presidential palace and the state television tower.

It was an effort by the army to defuse the revolt, but in disregarding protesters' key demand for Mubarak's ousting it failed to calm the turmoil that has disrupted the economy and rattled the volatile Middle East.

The tumult over Mubarak's refusal to resign had tested the loyalties of the armed forces, which had to choose whether to protect their supreme commander or ditch him.

The sharpening confrontation had raised fear of uncontrolled violence in Egypt, a linchpin US ally in an oil-rich region where the chance of chaotic unrest spreading to other long stable but repressive states troubles the West.

Washington has called for a prompt democratic transition to restore stability in Egypt, a rare Arab state no longer hostile to Israel, guardian of the Suez Canal linking Europe and Asia and a major force against militant Islam in the region.

China Daily - Agencies