Mubarakism Without Mubarak 4

BREAKING: Egyptian President Mubarak Refuses to Step Down, Protesters in Tahrir Square "Furious"

Update, 3:58pm Eastern: Mubarak is not stepping down! Quotes from his speech below. The crowd in Tahrir Square is reportedly not happy. They're reportedly "visibly furious," screaming "Leave! Leave!" and shaking shoes in the air (an insult in Egyptian culture).

Earlier today, the army had issued a statement making it sound like Mubarak would cede all power and step aside as president (see original post below). That announcement was "met with a roar of approval" by the Tahrir Square protesters. The mood very different there tonight.

Update, 3:49pm Eastern: Mubarak speaking from presidential palace: "Speaking from the heart"... Any regime can make mistakes in any country -- must acknowledge those mistakes and hold those responsible who are accountable.

I have announced without any doubt that I will not run in the next presidential elections...

Talking about a "peaceful transition of power" in September, with "honesty and transparency."

"We have started a constructive national dialogue, with the youth calling for reform."

"We have a roadmap" for transferring power in September.

"Our priority now is to facilitate free presidential elections."

"Egypt is going through some difficult times, and it is not right to continue."

"This situation is not about me." (ed note: Really?)

Turning over some powers to Suleiman, but not stepping down.

Update, 3:42pm Eastern: Reuters quotes a source that says this is what Mubarak will say: He apologizes to the victims of the country's unrest; "will not accept orders from outside." Will transfer power to Suleiman, but will not actually resign. Not sure yet whether this is a credible report.

At any rate, we should know very soon, as Mubarak's speech is supposedly "minutes away."

Update, 3:35pm Eastern: Entertainment while we wait: #ReasonsMubarakIsLate ("Changing Facebook relationship status to 'It's Complicated.'")

Update, 3:30pm Eastern: Al Jazeera tweets, "Atmosphere in #Tahrir Square is electric - thousands still making their way into the already jam packed [square]." Still, the anchors say it remains unclear whether there will be a change at the top of the Egyptian government. Mubarak's announcement is now ~30 minutes late. Waiting, waiting.

Update, 3:24pm Eastern: Al Jazeera correspondent saying this appears to be "the biggest crowd yet" since the protests started in Tahrir Square two weeks ago. "This might be the biggest political moment of their lives."

Update, 3:17pm Eastern: Al Jazeera is showing what's being broadcast on state TV right now, where Mubarak is supposed to make his address any moment: it's a "promo film" for Egypt. (Weird.)

Update, 3:12pm Eastern: NBC's Richard Engel, who is reporting from Cairo, just said on MSNBC that the Egyptian military does not want it to look like Mubarak is being forced to "walk the plank."

Update, 3:02pm Eastern: Al Jazeera correspondent Alan Fisher just tweeted: "More and more looking like transition of all powers to military - but he stays president. Army refusing to humiliate military hero."

Update, 3:00pm Eastern: Al Jazeera just reported on-air that Reuters is reporting Mubarak will definitely not step down this evening. Waiting for more details.

Update, 2:57pm Eastern: The Muslim Brotherhood, one of the main Mubarak opposition groups, says it fears the Egyptian military is staging a coup.

Update, 2:48pm Eastern: Mubarak is expected to speak in just minutes. Although Mubarak's -- and Egypt's -- future is still not certain, the crowd in Tahrir Square is going wild, dancing and celebrating in anticipation of Mubarak's announcement.

Update, 1:40pm Eastern: President Obama is speaking from Michigan: "What is absolutely clear that is that we are watching history unfolding," he said, also noting that it's the country's "young people who have been at the forefront" of this revolution. He then re-stated the U.S. government's support for Mubarak's "peaceful" transition from power. "It is a moment of transformation. The people of Egypt are calling for change," he said.

Update, 1:25pm Eastern: Tens Hundreds of thousands of people have now gathered in and around Tahrir Square, all anxiously awaiting the remarks from Mubarak. The crowd is reportedly in a "joyous" mood, with much singing, chanting, and drumming. Al Jazeera's Sherine Tadros spoke to a Cairo resident who said: "It's like I'm graduating from school. I'm excited -- but scared about what's coming next."

Meanwhile, President Obama is scheduled to make a statement in just a few minutes. More to come.

Update, 11:47am Eastern: Al Jazeera is now reporting on-air that President Mubarak will address the country this evening on state TV. The world eagerly awaits what he will say.

Updated: Multiple sources are reporting that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak could step down as soon as this evening.

Al Jazeera is saying Mubarak "may step down":

In a statement televised on state television, the army said it had convened the meeting response to the current political turmoil, and that it would continue to convene such meetings.

"Based on the responsibility of the armed forces and its commitment to protect the people and its keenness to protect the nation... and in support of the legitimate demands of the people [the army] will continue meeting on a continuous basis to examine measures to be taken to protect the nation and its gains and the ambitions of the great Egyptian people," the statement, titled "Communique No. 1" said.

Thurday's meeting was chaired by Mohamed Tantawi, the defence minister, rather than Mubarak, who, as president, would normally have headed the meeting.

The army's statement was met with a roar of approval from protesters in Tahrir Square, our correspondent reported.

Earlier, Hassan al-Roweni, an Egyptian army commander, told protesters in the square on Thursday that "everything you want will be realised".

MSNBC seems more sure:

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak is set to step down after 17 days of pro-democracy protests, two sources told NBC News on Thursday.

Following an all-day meeting of the country's supreme military council, the army said all the protesters' demands would be met and a further statement was expected to be made later Thursday, clarifying the situation.

Mubarak was expected to formally announce his departure in an address to the nation tonight.

NBC News said a high-ranking source inside the president's office said that Mubarak would step down and the newly appointed vice president, Omar Suleiman, would take over. This was then confirmed by a second source.

Reuters reports that the Egypt Prime Minister said Mubarak is still in power, and no decisions have been made.

There are also conflicting reports about who would take over if these reports are accurate. Al Jazeera said on-air minutes ago that Egyptian newspapers are reporting a military group, not Vice President Suleiman, will take over the country. (Suleiman is no saint himself.)

We will continue to update, as details come in. In the meantime, watch Al Jazeera's live reporting on the situation here:

http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/470242/breaking%3A_egyptian_president_mubarak_refuses_to_step_down%2C_protesters_in_tahrir_square_%22furious%22/