Cairo, February 10: Egypt’s Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq has reportedly confirmed the possibility that President Hosni Mubarak may step down and leave the country amid continued protests.
Shafiq has said that Mubarak may hand down power to the army tonight and leave the country, the Muslim Brotherhood said on its official website on Thursday.
Other reports said Mubarak has travelled to the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh with his army chief of staff.
There are reports that the Egyptian army has taken over presidential powers. The army says it supports the legitimate demands of people and that it is taking measures to protect people.
CIA chief Leon Panetta said there was a “strong likelihood” that Mubarak will step down tonight. He added that if Mubarak steps down, he would likely hand over power to his vice president, Omar Suleiman.
Egypt’s cabinet spokesman also said the Egyptian dictator was “most likely” to step down.
Hossan Badrawi, the general secretary of Egypt’s ruling National Democratic Party, told state-funded BBC that he hopes Mubarak will transfer power to Vice President Omar Suleiman.
Mubarak will “probably” address the nation in the evening, he said.
Egypt’s information minister, however, denied reports that Mubarak intended to step down.
“The president is still in power and he is not stepping down,” Anas el-Fekky was quoted by Reuters as saying.
“The president is not stepping down and everything you heard in the media is a rumor.”
Meanwhile, the country’s Supreme Council of Armed Forces convened earlier Thursday to discuss the future of Mubarak’s regime. Both Mubarak and Suleiman were absent from the meeting.
—-Agencies