Anti-govt. protests continue in Egypt

Egypt’s Anti-Coup Alliance led by the Muslim Brotherhood held nationwide rallies to protest against the presidential bid of former army chief who, under his command, the army-ousted country’s first democratically elected president Mohammed Morsi last year.
The protests were also held in solidarity with ongoing student protests which have gripped Egyptian universities since the start of the academic year. Demonstrators called for the release of all political prisoners who they say are unlawfully detained since the army’s coup. According to Rights Groups, 14 students have been killed in clashes with security forces since September. Students belonging to the now banned Muslim Brotherhood have been especially vocal against the new interim government and the military, which they accuse of orchestrating a coup against Morsi. The continuing protests and clashes have not deterred the Egyptian government from following its announced political road map, which entails presidential elections in May to be followed by parliamentary elections. At this point, it seems that former head of the army Abdel Fatah El Sisi will be running against leftist candidate Hamdeen Sabahi as they are the only 2 candidates which fulfilled new government’s requirements for running for president. Whoever will come into power in the next elections will have an endless list of obstacles including real economic hardships facing the country after 3 years of turmoil, and a large section of society that feels betrayed and targeted since the removal of President Morsi from power.