Cairo: Egypt's Health Ministry says 20 people have been killed since Sunday in clashes between police and protesters demanding the country's military rulers quickly transfer power to a civilian government.
The ministry on Monday also said that some 1,750 people have been wounded in the clashes since they began on Saturday. The ministry did not specify whether the dead and wounded were protesters, or whether the figures included policemen and army soldiers.
The military has floated a timetable that places the transfer of power late in 2012 or early 2013, but the protesters want it to announce a precise date. A growing number, however, wants the military to immediately step down in favor of an interim civilian council.
The military-backed Cabinet said in a statement that elections set to begin on November 28 would take place on time and thanked the police for their "restraint," language that is likely to enrage the protesters even more.
"We're not going anywhere," protester Mohammed Radwan said after security forces tried unsuccessfully to push the crowds out of Tahrir, the epicenter of the uprising. "The mood is good now and people are chanting again," he added after many of the demonstrators returned.
The protesters' suspicions about the military were fed by a proposal issued by the military-appointed Cabinet last week. It would shield the armed forces from any civilian oversight and give the generals veto power over legislation dealing with military affairs.
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