CAIRO, Feb 13: Egypt’s military leaders dissolved parliament and suspended the constitution on Sunday, meeting two key demands of protesters who have been keeping up pressure for immediate steps to transition to democratic, civilian rule after forcing Hosni Mubarak out of power.

The military rulers, who took over when Mr Mubarak stepped down on Friday, have set as a top priority the restoration of security that collapsed during the 18 days of protests. The caretaker government held its first meeting since the president was ousted and before it began, workers removed a giant picture of Mr Mubarak from the meeting room.

The protesters had been pressing the ruling military council, led by Defence Minister Hussein Tantawi, to immediately move forward with the transition by appointing a presidential council, dissolving the parliament and releasing political prisoners.

“They have definitely started to offer us what we wanted,” said activist Sally Touma, reflecting a mix of caution and optimism among the protesters. Thousands have remained in Cairo’s central Tahrir Square to demand immediate steps by the council such as the repeal of repressive emergency laws that give police broad powers.

The suspension of the constitution effectively puts Egypt under martial law — where the military makes the laws and enforces them through military tribunals. The ruling council is expected to clarify the issue in upcoming statements and the role of civilian courts remains unclear.

Judge Hisham Bastawisi, a reformist judge, said the latest measures “should open the door for free formation of political parties and open the way for any Egyptian to run for presidential elections” which the constitutional amendments are expected to do.

Hossam Bahgat, director of the non-governmental Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, said the military’s steps were positive but warned that Egypt was on uncharted legal ground.

“In the absence of a constitution, we have entered a sort of ‘twilight zone’ in terms of rules, so we are concerned,” he said. “We are clearly monitoring the situation and will attempt to influence the transitional phase so as to respect human rights.”

The ruling council said it would run the country for six months, or until presidential and parliament elections could be held. It said it was forming a committee to amend the constitution and set rules for a popular referendum to endorse the amendments.

Both the lower and upper houses of parliament are being dissolved. The last parliamentary elections in November and December were heavily rigged by the ruling party, virtually shutting out opposition representation.

The caretaker cabinet, which was appointed by Mr Mubarak shortly after the pro-democracy protests began on Jan 25, will remain in place until a new cabinet is formed — a step that is not expected to happen until after elections. The ruling council reiterated that it would abide by all of Egypt’s international treaties agreed in the Mubarak era, most importantly the 1979 peace treaty with Israel.

“Our concern now in the cabinet is security, to bring security back to the Egyptian citizen,” Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq told a news conference after the cabinet meeting.

Mr Shafiq said the military would decide whether Omar Suleiman, who was appointed vice president by Mr Mubarak in a failed attempt to appease protesters, would play some role in Egypt’s transition.

“He might fill an important position in the coming era,” the prime minister said.

The premier also denied rumours that Mr Mubarak had fled to the United Arab Emirates, saying the former president remained in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh. —AP