Egypt opposition party calls for 'transitional government'

Ruling party headquarters goes up in flames; ElBaradei placed under house arrest after supporters forced to hide inside a mosque.

By JPOST.COM STAFF, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mohamed ElBaradei supports 311 (photo credit: Miret el Naggar/MCT)
Mohamed ElBaradei supports 311
(photo credit: Miret el Naggar/MCT)
The head of the Egyptian opposition Wafd party on Friday called for a period of transitional rule in Egypt, new parliamentary elections and amendments to the constitution limiting presidential terms, Reuters reported.
In the latest day of protests, al-Jazeera reported that the number of people who died in the Egyptian city of Suez rose to 11,bringing the total number of people killed to 16.
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As protests continued into the night, Egyptian authorities were reportedly holding talks to establish a "transitional government," following the series of deadly protests against President Hosni Mubarak's regime.
Earlier Friday, parts of the ruling party headquarters in Cairo were going up in flames apparently set by enraged protesters demanding Mubarak's ouster.
Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei joined the protests earlier in the day and was then arrested by police and placed under house arrest.
ElBaradei and his supporters were forced to hide inside a mosque while hundreds of riot police laid siege to it, firing tear gas in the streets around so no one could leave.
One of the leaders of the opposition, Ayman Nour of the "El-Ghad" movement, also sustained a head injury from a stone, said Al-Jazeera.
Click here for full Jpost coverage of unrest in Egypt
Click here for full Jpost coverage of unrest in Egypt