Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak has stepped down and is believed to have left Cairo for his home in Sharm el-Sheikh, putting the popular Red Sea resort into the headlines for the first time since the country’s political crisis erupted last month.
Operators denied the reports would have any effect on the area, which has so far remained peaceful. Discover Egypt managing director David Wiles said: “The president has been living in Sharm el Sheikh on and off for the last ten years. He has houses and palaces there. There’s no reason why news that he had returned there should have a damaging effect.”
Tensions in Egypt had risen overnight, with angry protestors vowing to launch their most spectacular protest yet in Cairo today (Friday) after president Mubarak refused to stand down.
On the 17th day of a popular uprising against his 30-year rule, Mubarak yesterday announced that he was delegating presidential power to vice president Omar Suleiman, but said he would remain nominally in charge until September.
In a rebuff to US and other countries wanting a faster transition to democracy, he said in a televised speech: “I have never bent to foreign diktats.”
Red Sea resorts are reported to be remaining calm with Foreign and Commonwealth travel advice unchanged.
But in Cairo’s Tahrir Square tens of thousands of anti-government protestors voiced their anger against the president with hundreds of them brandishing their shoes as a sign of contempt.
Demonstrators vowed to step up their protests in Cairo today to press for the immediate departure of Mubarak and his deputy.
Many protesters called for an immediate general strike and angrily called on the military to intervene on their behalf.
Leading Egyptian dissident Mohamed ElBaradei warned that “Egypt will explode,” adding that the army “must save the country now.”
US President Barack Obama said Mubarak had failed to map out “meaningful or sufficient” change or to speak clearly enough to Egypt and the world.
Foreign secretary William Hague said: “It is not immediately clear what powers are being handed over and what the full implications are. We think the solution to this has to be owned by the Egyptian people themselves.
“All we want in the United Kingdom is for them to be able to settle their own differences in a peaceful and democratic way.
“And that’s why we’ve called from the beginning of this crisis for an urgent but orderly transition to a more broadly based government in Egypt, and in the meantime we look to the Egyptian authorities to protect the right to peaceful protest.”
Earlier, the atmosphere in Cairo was celebratory as the crowds gathered for what they hoped would be Mubarak’s final speech.
The military had announced hours earlier that it would intervene to ensure the country’s security and see that the people’s “legitimate” demands were met.
But when anti-government protestors realised the 82-year-old leader was refusing to resign, the mood of the 200,000-plus crowd darkened rapidly, the Press Association reported.