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Protesters clash with Egyptian security forces on Mohamed Mahmoud street near Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square, November 23, 2011.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
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A protester runs with a tear gas canister along Mohamed Mahmoud street, November 23, 2011.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
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A wounded protester seeks cover behind a makeshift shield during clashes with Egyptian police, November 23, 2011.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
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A protester overcome by tear gas is evacuated from Mohamed Mahmoud street, November 23, 2011.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
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A protester slings a tear gas canister towards Egyptian security forces during clashes, November 23, 2011.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
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A wounded protester is evacuated on the back of a motorcycle, November 23, 2011.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
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A protester crouches for cover during clashes with Egyptian security forces, November 23, 2011.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
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Tear gas fired by Egyptian security forces blankets a group of protesters, November 23, 2011.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
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A severely wounded protester is evacuated by other demonstrators during clashes, November 23, 2011.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
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The battle zone along Mohamed Mahmoud street in Cairo, November 23, 2011.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
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Protesters chant anti-military council slogans at a barricade during a temporary cease-fire with Egyptian security forces, November 23, 2011.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
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Protesters separated by barb wire argue with one another during a lull in clashes, November 23, 2011.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
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Photographs of politicians are plastered on the sole of a shoe during continued protests in Tahrir Square, November 25, 2011.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
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An encampment in Tahrir Square, November 25, 2011.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
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As clashes with police eased, the crowd in Tahrir Square grew larger each day. Banners and flags blanket the square, November 25, 2011.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
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Evening prayers at Tahrir Square, November 24, 2011.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
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Soldiers held off voters waiting for a polling place to open as parliamentary elections began November 28, 2011.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
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A polling place in the Shoubra district of Cairo, November 29, 2011.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
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Ballot boxes inside a polling station in Old Cairo, November 29, 2011.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
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Voters queue at a polling station in Cairo, November 29, 2011.Yuri Kozyrev—NOOR for TIME
On November 19, thousands of Egyptians took to Tahrir Square once
again in what many called a “second” revolution—or even the “real”
revolution. Within a week, the protest had spread to cities across
Egypt, and the iconic square in downtown Cairo had again become a
space of war and protest, as protesters this time called for the end
of military rule, and a final toppling of the junta that ousted
President Hosni Mubarak left behind. Days of clashes between
protesters and Egyptian central security forces left more than 40
people dead and nearly 2,000 wounded, and let activists and analysts
to draw comparisons to Tahrir’s earlier days of fame, when thousands
of Egyptians occupied the square last winter to demand the end of
Mubarak’s rule.
This latest unraveling came as authorities tried to clear the square
in downtown Cairo following a mass protest on Friday. Islamists and
young liberals had gathered to protest a proposed set of
“supraconstitutional” principles that would place the military largely
outside the realm of judicial and parliamentary supervision, as well
as giving the institution wide veto power over the development of the
next government and constitution. But the ensuing clashes only drove
more protesters into the square.
Just days ahead of parliamentary elections on Nov. 28, the occupation of the
square became a lynchpin of debate between Egyptian politicians,
generals, activists and regular citizens on the best way forward for
a nation in turmoil. Ultimately, the junta succeeded in holding the
election—a boost to their credibility as interim rulers—even as some
continued to protest.
Voter turnout far surpassed that of previous sham elections, held
under Mubarak, and lines at polling stations snaked around city blocks
as men and women from across the political and economic spectrum
waited to cast their votes.
Monday’s parliamentary election — the first relatively free,
democratic race in Egypt’s history, and perhaps the biggest bellwether
of a long and turbulent Arab Spring — rang in harsh truths for some, a
tide of satisfaction and new hopes for others. For the majority of
Egyptians, eager to elect a new government that they hope will lift
the country out of post-revolution turmoil, the vote was a tremendous
success. For the liberals, youth, and others who had hoped to usher in
bigger changes through Tahrir Square, the vote signaled that a second
revolution is yet to come.
Abigail Hauslohner is TIME’s Cairo correspondent. Find her on Twitter @ahauslohner.
Yuri Kozyrev is a contract photographer for TIME who has covered the Arab Spring since January.
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