Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, 82, who ruled the country for almost 30 years, stepped down on Friday after 18 days of heated protests demanding his resignation.
The unrest claimed the lives of at least 300 people and injured thousands. The majority of protestors behind the revolution are web-savvy young people who have not seen any other regime except for Mubarak's.
"In these difficult circumstances the country is facing, President Hosni Mubarak has decided to leave his post and instructed the Higher Military Council to rule the country," Prime Minister Omar Suleiman said during a one-minute announcement on national TV.
After the announcement, Cairo's Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the nationwide protests, erupted into loud cheers, chanting "Egypt is free, Egypt is free!"
The main accusations against Mubarak are that his regime fostered poverty, autocracy and large-scale corruption. The main goal of Egypt's revolution was to replace Mubarak's regime with a true democracy.
The unexpected resignation made Mubarak, who had earlier in the week said he would remain in office, the second Arab leader forced to quit from a civil uprising. Last month, Tunisia's president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali resigned and fled the country amid massive protests against his regime.
Egyptian national TV reported that Mubarak and his family had left Cairo for his winter residence in Sharm el Sheikh, a popular resort in South Sinai.
CAIRO, February 11 (RIA Novosti)
