Egyptian Minister Shafiq Steps Down, Opposition Minister Replaces Him

Local Editor

Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik has surprisingly announced on Thursday his resignation from the transitory government and assigned the mission of forming a new government to Issam Sharaf, the former transportation minister who who took part in the mass demonstrations in Cairo's Tahrir Square which led to Mubarak's resignation on February 11 after three decades in power.

The Egyptian military on its part accepted the resignation of Shafik, who is seen by the protestors as a successor to Mubarak and his regime. The resignation comes under pressure as the protestors and leaders of the revolution demanded the departure of Shafik and all the other regime figures who were assigned by ousted Husni Mubarak a few days before he left office.
Earlier, Egyptian opposition activists have been calling for another million-man march on Friday to pressure Shafik to step down at the time two senior opposition leaders have been released.