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Egypt: Military confirms elections will take place November 28
Despite the bloody battles of the weekend in Tahrir Square Supreme Council of the Armed Forces decided that the vote will take place as planned on November 28. Arrested the only female candidate for president, Bothaina Kamel.
Cairo (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The fighting still going on at Tahrir Square in Cairo will not change the timing of parliamentary elections scheduled for November 28, assured senior army and Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) official, General Mohsen al-Fangari. "We will not give in to calls to postpone the election. The armed forces and the Ministry of Interior are able to guarantee the security of polling stations," he said.
Several parties and candidates have suspended their campaign after the weekend of blood that caused at least 13 dead and hundreds injured. Among the dozens of protesters arrested, there is also the only female candidate for president of Egypt, Bothaina Kamel, who, a few hours before being stopped, said that "the generals are criminals and outlaws. The Supreme Council of the armed forces is worse Mubarak ".
In recent days, politicians and personalities from teh world of culture, including the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed El Baradei, have asked for the postponement of the elections, as part of a review of the political calendar. They are asking to elect a constituent assembly first, then a President and finally Parliament.
Meanwhile clashes continue in Tahrir Square. Security forces fired tear gas this morning, in an attempt to force the protesters camped out since Friday to leave the place a symbol of revolution. The protesters in recent days have briefly left the square, where police fired rubber bullets and tear gas, but returned immediately after. Similar clashes are underway in Alexandria and Suez.