Thousands of people gathered under rainy skies in Cairo’s Tahrir Square early Wednesday, exactly one year after the start of the revolution that ousted longtime Egyptian ruler Hosni Mubarak from his domain but, many say, accomplished little else.

The mood among the crowd in the square was somber and tense, not celebratory, amid fears that violence could break out later in the day between protesters and the military. People in the square held banners and chanted against the country’s military leaders. Large stages and dozens of tents had been set up amid cold temperatures.

Signs of progress toward a more democratic system in Egypt after the revolution that began in Tahrir Square are mixed with the feeling that the real changes protesters had hoped for have not been realized. Egypt’s democratically elected parliament met Monday for the first time since Mubarak was ousted after decades of authoritarian rule. But the country’s influential military, which stepped into the vacuum as Mubarak teetered last year, retains much of the decision-making power. Pro-democracy activists, frustrated by what they say is the slow pace of change, have clashed with the military in Cairo’s streets in recent months.

In the recent parliamentary elections, established Islamist parties like the Muslim Brotherhood performed much more strongly than the liberal parties that represented some of the protesters. And a new constitution has yet to be drawn up. Some Egyptians have said the hopes forged by protesters in the heady days of January and February last year were always likely to be disappointed rather than struck by inspiration.
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Source: CNN

Image: Arab Academy