Mubarak Vows to Retire End of Term


Organizers called for a million people to gather in Cairo prior to a planned march to the Presidential Palace on Friday, February 4. The protesters are insisting that Mubarak steps down by February 4, which they have termed the “Friday of Departure.” Nationwide, hundreds of thousands of protesters continued to gather, demanding an end to Mubarak’s rule.

In response, Mubarak announced that while he would not stand as a candidate in the next elections, he would serve out his term in office, thus remaining President of Egypt until September. Mubarak’s televised speech was met with vehement opposition from protesters demanding his immediate resignation. U.S. President Barack Obama, commenting after Mubarak’s announcement, insisted that “an orderly transition must be meaningful, it must be peaceful, and it must begin now.”

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay indicated that the death toll in Egypt over the last week had possibly reached 300, with more than 3,000 injured.