Protesters are being called back to Tahrir, reports Mohamed Abdel-Baky For the last three weeks the Youth Revolution Coalition (YRC) has maintained a fragile truce with the military, suspending all protests in order to give a chance to hold the referendum on constitutional amendments. But after 77.2 per cent voted in favour of the nine amended constitutional articles on Saturday 19 March the YRC is beginning to move towards Plan B. The YRC opposed the constitutional amendments and has canvassed for parliamentary elections to be delayed, arguing that holding the poll in September gives an unfair advantage to the Muslim Brotherhood and the rump of the National Democratic Party, the two most organised political groups. After a week of debate within the coalition, the YRC has agreed a new strategy. Members who spoke to Al-Ahram Weekly say they will henceforth adopt three new tactics. The first will focus on empowering newly formed parties to ensure they are prepared for the coming parliamentary elections. The second involves a return to Tahrir Square in demand of legitimate rights, while the third is to advocate changes in the parliamentary law and regulations on political participation. "We have no option. The parliamentary elections are coming soon and we have to be prepared for such fierce battle," says YRC member Abdel-Rahman Samir. The YRC, he added, will soon announce a list of hundreds of candidates across the country that the coalition supports in the parliamentary elections. "The idea is to create an umbrella grouping so that all the liberal movements are joined in one bloc capable of winning a majority of the seats in the coming parliament." Under the new constitutional amendments the coming parliament is obliged to select a 100-member assembly to draft a new constitution within six months of its election. The coalition, in collaboration with the Wafd, Tagammu and Karama, is preparing a map of targeted seats. "The list of candidates supported by the coalition is unlikely to include members from the Muslim Brotherhood, which prefers to follow its own agenda in this regard," said Samir. One of the main concerns of the youth movements is that parliamentary elections should not, like the referendum, be crammed into a single day. Nasser Abdel-Fattah, a member of the coalition, told the Weekly the YRC has already received promises from the Higher Council of the Armed Forces (HCAF) that the poll will be staggered in order to allow for complete judicial supervision as well as the participation of Egyptians living abroad. Any return to Tahrir Square, for now at least, will be restricted to pressuring the HCAF to take stronger steps in ensuring that stalwarts of the Mubarak years are brought to justice. In a statement issued this week the YRC said that the coalition is urging Egyptians to save the revolution by going to Tahrir Square on Friday. "We are returning to call for the trial of the big four. We have given the army enough time to hold Azmi, El-Sherif and Sorour accountable and nothing has happened." Zakaria Azmi was president Hosni Mubarak's chief of staff; Safwat El-Sherif the secretary-general of the NDP and Fathi Sorour Egypt's longest ever serving parliamentary speaker. All three were stalwart supporters of Mubarak and are central figures in the cronyism that undermined the regime. The statement added that the revolution will not succeed until "justice is served" and that it was provocative that Sorour and Azmi had given media interviews in which they were allowed to defend themselves without any criticism. In an interview with Al-Ahram Sorour claimed he had anticipated the revolution and that he tried to reform the regime only to be thwarted by Mubarak and his son Gamal. Following the resignation of prime minister Ahmed Shafik the YRC agreed with the HCAF to suspend Tahrir protests in order to give the army time to prepare for the referendum and allow room for the new government, led by Essam Sharaf, to work. After being out of Tahrir Square for three weeks the coalition does not expect a big turnout on Friday, says Samir. But he does anticipate growing political pressure. "Youth committees from the Wafd, Tagammu and Karama party have agreed to join the YRC to maximise our efforts to speak in one voice and encourage millions of Egyptians to get back to Tahrir Square until all of the revolution's goals are achieved," he says. YRC is one of seven unions formed during the revolution. It includes the 6 April Youth Movement, Youth for Freedom and Justice, the El-Baradei Campaign, the Muslim Brotherhood Youth Group, the Democratic Front's youth group and the National Association of Change.
