Egypt was named a republic on June 18th 1953, but since 1967 (with the exception of an 18-month break in 1980) the country has been under "Emergency Law". In 1981, Hosni Mubarak, the former Vice President, came to power follwing the assassination of President Anwar El Sadat. Mubarak has ruled as dictator since then.
On 25 January 2011, widespread protests began against Mubarak's regime as part of the Arab Spring. These took the form of an intensive campaign of civil resistance supported by very large numbers of people and mainly consisting of continuous mass demonstrations. When the public began ignoring Mubaraks curfew, the army refused to move against them. On 11 February 2011, Mubarak resigned and fled Cairo. Vice President Omar Suleiman announced that Mubarak had stepped down and that the Egyptian military would assume control of the nation's affairs in the short term.
The Egyptian Army spokesman, Ismail Etman, told a news conference in Cairo on Monday that parliamentary or presidential elections would not be held while the emergency law is still in place. With elections planned for September, this seems to be a clear indication that the emergency law is to removed. The Egyptian military council have also placed Mubarak and his family under house arrest.
Activists have demanded the release of political prisoners, the lifting of a 30-year-old state of emergency and the disbandment of military court.
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