THE post-Hosni Mubarak period has been messy for Egypt as the Arab country attempts to carve out a new, democratic destiny for itself after decades of dictatorship posing as a sham democracy. The central tussle has been between pro-democracy protesters and the military council that has ruled Egypt since Mr Mubarak’s overthrow. On Friday, hundreds of protesters were injured after demonstrators clashed with troops outside the defence ministry in Cairo. The protests were sparked by the killings of several demonstrators near the ministry on Wednesday by unidentified gunmen. Mass arrests of protesters were reported on Saturday.

Ever since Mubarak was sent packing in February 2011, there has been a widespread trust deficit between the people and the military council. In the meantime, liberals, leftists, Islamists and remnants of the Mubarak order have all been trying to shape the trajectory Egypt takes, with the generals keeping a close eye on the whole process. Presidential elections are scheduled for May 23, with run-offs slated for mid-June. Mubarak’s former foreign minister and two Islamist candidates are said to be the top contenders, while the Muslim Brotherhood dominates parliament. Though the military council has promised fair polls, accusations persist that the generals are trying to manipulate the elections. Many in Egypt feel the military rulers will use the violence as an excuse to stay in power; some opposition figures have even accused the generals of engineering the clashes. Considering Egypt’s influential posi-tion in the Arab world, observers will be watching developments closely. Egypt’s military government must keep its word and hand over power to civilians fully while ensuring transparent and violence-free elections. If the people feel the generals are tinkering with the democratic process, it will only create further instability in the country. After all, the people of Egypt did not overthrow the Mubarak regime to replace it with a military dictatorship.