Fifty-four political parties and movements in Egypt have called for countrywide protests on 25 January to demand a speedier transfer of power from the military to civilian authorities. In a statement on Monday, the groups listed their demands, including the handover of power to an elected president by April, 25 January as the date for presidential elections, the release of all detainees, the end to military trials for civilians and the approval of minimum and maximum wages. Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, head of ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, (SCAF) vowed in a speech on 22 November to hand over power to civilians after holding presidential elections by end of June. However, the SCAF didn't set a specific timeline for presidential nominations or a date for elections. The statement stressed necessity of achieving all the revolution's demands, adding that removal of head of the regime is not enough. The signatories called for holding a discussion to agree on standards for choosing the constituent assembly for writing the new constitution and highlighted the necessity of achieving consensus concerning the constitution. The statement also demanded that suspects accused of killing protesters face trials and that state media be restructured. It also called for the release of political prisoners and an end to military trials for civilians. The statement recommended short-term economic initiatives, including measures to control markets and prices, to boost the economy.
