Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has provoked a furious reaction from pro-democracy supporters after dashing hopes that he would resign immediately, announcing instead his intention to remain in power until September.
Waving their shoes, and vowing to escalate the demonstrations calling for Mr Mubarak to leave office immediately, many in the crowd jeered his address on Thursday.
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A protester waves his shoe in disgust after President Hosni Mubarak revealed he wasn't going to resign. Photo: Reuters
Rumours had spread throughout the day that support for Mr Mubarak within the government had crumbled.
Later it appeared that the military had staged a quiet coup after a military spokesman appeared on state television and announced that the army's higher council was in continuous session in Mr Mubarak's conspicuous absence.
“Everything you want will be realised,” the television channel quoted Egyptian army commander Hassan al-Roweni as telling protesters.
Anger ... anti-government protesters show their frustration after Egypt President Hosni Mubarak's announcement. Photo: AP
After Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik gave an interview to the BBC's Arabic satellite channel declaring that Mr Mubarak might step down, it seemed certain for several hours that the President's departure was imminent.
When Mr Mubarak finally appeared on state television after 7am AEST today, hundreds of thousands of pro-democracy supporters had gathered in Cairo's central Tahrir Square to listen to what most expected would be the denouement of the massive protests that began on January 25.
“This has made the people even angrier,” engineer Gamel Hassan, 26, said.
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