Egyptian press reported the ongoing protests in Tahrir Square, statements by the new chairman of Lawyers Syndicate, Sameh Ashour, who said there are no disputes between political forces. Head of the Muslim Brotherhood's (MB) administrative office Karem Radwan said the MB is mediating between the protestors and the Ministry of Interior for them not to go beyond the limits of the square. Youm7: Demonstrators in Tahrir Square continued to protest against chairman of Egypt's ruling military council Hussein Tantawi, claiming he is responsible for the deaths of over 23 people. The total of injured reached 446 cases, bringing the number of casualties since the beginning of the protests to 1,830. Chancellor Amr Fawzy of the public prosecutor's office ordered reports from the forensic office the regarding 13 bodies of demonstrators and nine additional bodies and reports from the police regarding how the clashes caused their deaths. The youth of the revolution coalition called for a million-man march for Friday December 9, calling for the dismissal of Essam Sharaf's government and the formation of a new transitional government. Yesterday's clashes continued to break out between central security forces and demonstrators causing more casualties. The new head of the Lawyers Syndicate Sameh Ashour gave statements at a press conference held after the announcement of the results of the Lawyers Syndicate elections. Ashour vowed to improve the union and declared the syndicate should be impartial, non-partisan and he was willing to reconcile with anybody including the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). Al-Ahram: Chairman of the Supreme Electoral Committee (SEC) Abdel Moez Ibrahim said the elections will continue despite the events in Tahrir Square. The SEC began to take measures to enable Egyptians abroad to vote in the elections, according to the court ruling, but the head of the SEC noted a constitutional amendment was required to continue with elections and this was only issued yesterday December 8. On the other hand, the President of the Technical Office of the SEC said not a single judge participated in the elections and everyone is on high alert to implement the tasks entrusted to them for the completion of the electoral process. The MB said it is prepared for all scenarios in the event of postponing the elections, since they will not accept this delay, according to head of the MB's administrative office in Cairo Karim Radwan. He said the group is mediating between young protesters and the Ministry of Interior for protestors not to go beyond the limits of Tahrir Square. Al-Masry Al-Youm: A poll from U.S. public opinion revealed Egypt decreased in popularity after the Egyptian January 25 Revolution. Gallup for international affairs conducted the poll, revealing Egypt has a 40 percent approval rate in 2011 as opposed the 58 percent approval rate in 2010. The study showed 67 percent of U.S. citizens feared the January 25 Revolution would lead to negative consequences for the U.S. and its interests in the region. While 49 percent of U.S. citizens fear the revolution will lead to the birth of a regime hostile to the U.S, opinion polls reveal 43 percent of U.S. believe Egypt is not friendly. The study also noted about 62 percent of U.S. respondents doubt the revolution will help the U.S. in its war against terrorism. Al-Akhbar: The constitutional law expert Tharwat Badawi said the next parliament is unconstitutional, pointing out Egyptians are worried about the control of a certain majority in parliament and they will choose a constitutional committee and the two houses representatives. Badawi added he is not afraid of the MB and condemned the military council for claiming to support the revolution then arresting thousands of youths and bringing them to military trials. In another context, he expressed his displeasure regarding former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's trial, saying no former president's trial should take more than four months. The former Minister of Youth and Sports Abdel Moneim Emara said Tahrir Square turned into a tool of intimidation and the political elite is trying to push Egyptians to clash with the army. Al-Shorouq: Former Minister of Culture Emad Abu Ghazi said his "resignation is irreversible and had nothing to do with my daughter's arrest." He added if he did not resign, he would have regretted all his life since he felt he needed to react to the violence in Tahrir Square. He said former Prime Minister Essam Sharaf presented his resignation but Egypt's ruling military council did not accept it. Political forces and political analysts disagree on whether the elections should continue or be postponed after the bloody confrontations that left more than 33 dead and hundreds injured. The MB insists on holding elections as scheduled while others feel they must be postponed. Al-Gumhorreya: Assistant Minister of Interior Samy Sidhom said he is following up with 26 Security Directorates and working on protecting the Ministry of Interior headquarters, which was nearly stormed by 200 people. The newspaper revealed the aides to the ministers of Interior and was in meetings until early Thuesday December 8 to discuss how to disperse the protestors from Tahrir Square without causing any death, injuries and violence. A security source confirmed all shops in the square and surrounding areas were closed in fear of being stormed.
