CAIRO - Protesters and riot police clashed in Cairo's Tahrir square on Saturday, wounding around 500 people, after police dispersed a sit-in by demonstrators demanding the ruling military transfer power swiftly to a civilian government.
The police pulled down tents of about 100 protesters who had camped in the square overnight after a demonstration on Friday of about 50,000 people, mostly Islamists, against the military leadership.The action prompted around 5,000 protesters to return and clashes broke out.
The violence could cast a shadow over Egypt's parliamentary elections, which are set to begin on Nov. 28, the first since former President Hosni Mubarak's removal and meant to be a major step towards a civilian democratic system.
