March Timeline
1 March, Tuesday
Ahmed Saleh, a leader in the April 6th movement, traveled to Washington DC to ask the United States for help and support for the Egyptian people by putting pressure on the Egyptian military to act more quickly. He proposed that a coalition of opposition and military figures head the interim government and that elections be postponed a year, allowing for parties to organize. However, many Egyptian people felt betrayed by this visit, saying that they did not need help from the United States.
2 March, Wednesday
The Egyptian Federation of Independent Trade Unions held its first labor conference entitled “Workers and The Revolution.”
3 March, Thursday
Dr. Ahmed Shafik resigned as PM and Dr. Essam Sharaf was appointed as the new PM with orders to form a new cabinet.
There was a fire in the Central Auditing Organization in Cairo, where many of the papers that condemn Mubarak and other political figures.
Dr. Sami El-Sherif was appointed the Chairman for the Egyptian TV and Radio Union (ERTU)
4 March, Friday
Prime Minister Essam Sharaf spoke in Tahrir Square claiming that his legitimacy came from the Revolution. Afterwards, he was carried over the shoulders of the protesters in celebration.
5 March, Saturday
In Alexandria and other locations, the Egyptian people gathered outside SS Headquarters to protest the shredding of important documents. They stormed Headquarters and seized the documents.
6 March, Sunday
Prime Minister Essam Sharaf appointed a new cabinet
9 March, Wednesday
Security forces began forcefully removing protesters from Tahrir Square.
After security forces cleared protesters from the square many women claimed they were held by security forces and forced to take ‘virginity tests.’
15 March, Tuesday
The Minister of the Interior announced that he was disbanding the “State Security Apparatus” whose job it was to monitor groups within Egypt for threats against the peace (ie counter terrorism, national security and counter espionage), however the minister also announced that it will be replaced by the “National Security Sector” with the same mission statement of counter terrorism, national security and counter espionage.
19 March, Saturday
Egyptians went to the polls to vote for the Constitutional Referendums. Egyptians were offered a straight up or down vote on seven changes to the constitution. The “Vote No” campaign instituted by many youth leaders of the uprisings claimed the reforms were insufficient.
A mob attacked ElBaradei protesting his pretensions as a leader of the uprisings and his intention to run for president.
20 March, Sunday
Results of the referendum vote in Egypt showed that the majority of Egyptians wanted the changes put forward such as placing a limit on the presidential term as well as setting up certain conditions one must meet before being eligible to run for president.
21 March, Monday
Mubarak’s European Bank accounts were frozen.
22 March, Tuesday
Police cadets and agents were protesting against the minister of the interior when a fire broke out at the Ministry of Interior in Cairo where many important documents were stored that could possibly incriminate Mubarak’s regime.
23 March, Wednesday
Cairo University students protested, demanding the resignation of the university president and other faculty members who had connections to Mubarak’s regime. The Army entered campus to forcefully break up the protests.
New laws were made regarding the formation of political parties as well as the legality of some protests and demonstrations. Under the new regulations political parties are allowed to form if they do not threaten national security or contradict the constitution; however protests and demonstrations are illegal if they hinder security forcers from maintaining the peace and/or encourage and cause crime.
28 March, Monday
The Army issued a statement reassuring Egyptians that Mubarak had not left Egypt. They also asserted that they would begin to investigate the abuse of several women that occurred on March 19. Finally, they asked Egyptians to refrain from spreading rumors.
30 March, Wednesday
A constitutional declaration was issued that will replace the old Egyptian constitution of 1971 until a new constitution is made.
CONNECTED in CAIRO 