Egyptian presidential hopeful Ayman Nour on Monday compared Egypt's cabinet to a "shadow government," saying it acts as a "proxy" for the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). Nour, the founder of the liberal Ghad Party, told supporters in the city of Alexandria on Monday that interim Prime Minister Essam Sharaf has turned into a "secretary" for the military council. "Sharaf makes right decisions at the wrong time. Though 125 days in office are not enough to judge his performance, the period did not give positive signs," Nour said. Nour said that Sharaf, in his recent address to protesters at Cairo's Tahrir Square, tried to verbally appease the demonstrators, and tackled issues for which he has no constitutional authority. On Friday, Cairo's Tahrir Square saw massive protests by thousands of Egyptians. Among other demands, demonstrators demanded faster prosecution of former regime officials and police officers accused of murdering protesters during the January uprising. On Saturday, Sharaf ordered the dismissal of all police officers charged with killing protesters. He also said he agreed with the head of the Cairo Appeal Court to dedicate special courts for trying officials and officers implicated in protester deaths. This move, he said, should ensure speedier trials. Protesters said Sharaf's statement came late and accused his government of slowness. Thousands swarmed Tahrir after the broadcast. "Sharaf has to be aware that the legitimacy he had acquired from the revolution has come to an end. Egypt needs a prime minister who can interact with revolutionaries," Nour stressed. He predicted that protests will lead Sharaf's government to resign, and he described the current situation as a "rebirth of the January Revolution." "Recent acquittals given to police officers accused of murdering protesters form an indictment of the Ministry of Interior and prosecution services, since their investigations led to exonerating the suspects," Nour said. Nour called for forming a coordination council for Egypt's liberal parties, which would include the Wafd Party and Egypt Freedom Party. Commenting on presidential elections scheduled for the end of this year, Nour said that some deal with the presidential candidacy as if it was an end-of -service benefit. He said he was not annoyed by a recent online poll on presidential candidates, which showed reform advocate Mohamed ElBaradei as topping the chart."My positions would never be at odds with ElBaradei's," he said. “Egypt deserves ten strong presidential nominees,” Nour stressed. “Any future ruler will bear in his mind the image of massive protests in Tahrir Square, and will never dare to steer the people as a flock of sheep." Translated from the Arabic Edition
