By Ulises Canales
Shops packed with red hearts, gifts, and cards allegorical for
Valentine’s Day are a clear sign that everyday life is gradually returning to
Egypt, but the people who forced President Hosni Mubarak to resign remain
watchful for the changes they demanded.
Hectic commercial activity has once more taken over streets and businesses, as
merchants try to make up for losses with attractive offers for the day of love
and friendship, after the country was at almost a total standstill for 20 days.
However, the generalized climate of uncertainty is still perceived nationwide,
chiefly in the capital, because Egypt is now a country without a parliament or
constitution.
Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo, where the popular uprising began on Jan. 25, is
the best proof that the still weak transition is arousing many questions and
expectations.
Though the military police reopened that area to traffic, a certain atmosphere
of chaos other than the traditional hustle and bustle of that commercial area
was perceptible today.
Hundreds of Egyptians continue to visit the square, some of them just to visit
the place symbolic of the victorious uprising, others -the majority- to confirm
to the new military authorities that the young people will not demobilize until
their demands are met.