Mubarak delivers his final address, transfers powers to vice-president

10 Feb 2011



In a historic retreat before the people\'s will, and with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces in open-ended session, President Hosni Mubarak, in a televised address to the nation, announced the transfer of his powers to Vice-President Omar Suleiman in accordance with Article 139 of the Constitution.



In the same address, Mubarak used his constituional powers, possibly for the very last time, by calling for the amendment of several articles of the constitution, governing presidential elections, as well as abolishing an article on cambatting terroirsm.



The president\'s call for the amendment of the constitution in the very same address in which he surrendered his presidential powers provides the answer to the constitutional dilamma, which was being used by the state to try and dodge the people\'s demand that the president step down. According to Article 139 of the Constitution, the President may transfer his powers to the vice president or the prime minister in case of extraordinary cricumstances, such as illness, that incapcitate him to perform his duties. The article in question, however, bars whom so ever the presidential powers are vested in from calling for constitutional amendments, declaring war or dissolving parliament.



It was actually a suggestion of representatives of the youth movements that one way out of that constitutional dilemma would be for the President to call for constitutional amendments in the very same address in which he vests his powers in the vice president, as a single package.



The way the president\'s address was formulated however has had the hundreds of thousands gathered in Tahrir sq up in arms, as Mubarak kept insisting throughout the address that he will be staying in power until September.






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