CAIRO, Feb 12: Egypt’s new military leadership vowed on Saturday to pave the way for democracy and abide by its peace treaty with Israel, as Egyptians basked in their victory a day after Hosni Mubarak’s overthrow.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces said the current government would remain in place for a peaceful transition to “an elected civil authority to build a free democratic state”, although it set no timetable.

The streets and squares of downtown Cairo remained in the hands of the mostly young demonstrators whose determined 18-day revolt overturned 30 years of autocratic rule and triggered an outpouring of national solidarity.

But political power now rests with the military commanders who stepped into the vacuum left by Mubarak’s departure, and many people are anxiously waiting to see if they will make good on their promise to respect the popular will.

In Tahrir Square, the epicentre of the revolt, many of the anti-regime protesters who have occupied the city’s vast central plaza since late January launched a massive cleanup effort with hundreds of volunteers.

“It’s party time! We are born again,” declared 40-year-old agricultural engineer Osama Saadallah.—AFP