Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman called on protesters on Tahrir Square to go home after embattled President Hosni Mubarak delegated him powers late on Thursday in an attempt to ease tensions in the country.
Suleiman the vice-president addressed the nation on state TV shortly after Mubarak's speech, calling on protesters to "go back to work".
He said he had been handed by the president "the responsibilities to safeguard the stability of Egypt, to safeguard its ... assets ... to restore peace and security to the Egyptian public, and to restore the normal way of life," as quoted by Al Jazeera.
He warned that further disturbances would drive the country into "chaos" and said a "roadmap has been laid down to achieve the majority of demands."
Mubarak said in his televised speech he considered it "appropriate" to hand over the powers of the head of state to Suleiman.
"I have laid down a vision ... to exit the current crisis, and to realize the demands voiced by the youth and citizens ... without undermining the constitution in a manner that ensures the stability of our society," he said.
Mubarak's refusal to step down caused outrage among the thousands of protesters on Tahrir Square, who have been urging the president's resignation since the protests broke out in Cairo on January 25. The unrest has already claimed the lives of at least 300 people and injured about 5,000.
Mubarak's announcement that he was handing over presidential powers to Suleiman came amid concerns that the military could take power in the country, as they did in 1952, when Gamal Abdel Nasser's Free Officers movement toppled British-backed King Farouk.
On Thursday, the Supreme Council of Egyptian Armed Forces gathered to discuss ways to ease the president's exit from power. The permanent meeting was chaired by Defense Minister Mohamed Tantawi, rather than Mubarak, the country's commander-in-chief.
CAIRO, February 11 (RIA Novosti)
