February 11, 2011
“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.” Communique Number 1, Supreme Council of Egyptian Armed Forces, February 10, 2011 (meeting without President Hosni Mubarak in attendance)
Also reported: “The military’s supreme council met today without Commander-in-Chief Mubarak, and declared on state TV its “support of the legitimate demands of the people.” A spokesman read a statement that the council was in permanent session to explore “what measures and arrangements could be made to safeguard the nation, its achievements and the ambitions of its great people.” The statement was labeled “communiqué number 1,” a phrasing that suggests a military coup.
Today’s meeting was chaired by 75 year old Deputy Prime Minister Mohamed Tantawi, (appointed by Mubarak on Jan. 31, 2011). He chaired the meeting of the Supreme Council of Egyptian Armed Forces in his other, preexisting, role as Commander-In-Chief of Egypt’s armed forces. Mubarak, who, as President and Supreme Commander would normally have presided, and this, by some, implies a military coup, nonviolent though it is thus far.
The mid-level officer corps is generally disgruntled, and one can hear mid-level officers at MOD clubs around Cairo openly expressing disdain for Tantawi. These officers refer to Tantawi as “Mubarak’s poodle,” and complain that “this incompetent Defense Minister” who reached his position only because of unwavering loyalty to Mubarak is “running the military into the ground.”
So, is Tantawi the replacement-in-waiting?