"We swear by God not to stop before you (Mubarak) quit. We swear by God to continue our quest for freedom and bread," protestors vowed. (Reuters).

Cairo, September 28, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – As Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was being sworn in for his fifth six-year term running under the dome of parliament, thousands of Egyptian opponents were touring Cairo's historical downtown streets, pledging to continue their non-stop search for freedom and better living conditions.

The demonstration, organized by the Egyptian Movement for Change (Kefaya – Enough in Arabic), drew some five thousand people, according to organizers.

The big rally Tuesday, September 27, came as a strong response to predictions by analysts and observers that Kefaya would disappear from the Egyptian political scene following the September 7 first multi-candidate presidential elections, which Kefaya boycotted.

The rally witnessed the participation of Kefaya members from various Egyptian Governorates and members of other opposition movements, notably Writers and Artists for Change and "Shayfinku" (We See You), another popular gathering launched on the eve of the September 7 polls.

The rally was colorful, with drums and traditional musical instruments accompanying demonstrators as they toured Cairo streets for two hours.

Slogans and signs varied from the traditional anti-Mubarak and family members ones, to others strongly slamming the "corrupt regime".

"In the name of 9 million jobless, your rule is illegal, Mubarak", read one banner, while another said: "6 millions voted yes, 70 millions say no!" That was a direct reference to the little over 6 million votes Mubarak received in the presidential polls, giving him 88.6% of the some 7 million plus that the government said cast their ballots. The official turnout stood at 23% of the over 32 million illigible to vote.

Girls of Kefaya and other movements carried balloons with the movements' logos printed thereon, bringing the demo closer to western rallies.

Kefaya came to being in mid-2004 at the hands of a group of writers, people of thought and journalists demanding an end to the rule of Mubarak, the Middle East’s second longest ruler in present time after Libya’s Muamar Gadaffi, who attended Mubarak's swear in ceremony Tuesday.

Young members of Kefaya distributed the movement logo among shop owners in central Cairo’s shopping area.

Family members of Beni Suef victims who were charred in a fire that broke out in the upper Egyptian city state theater were on hand at the demonstration.

A daughter of one of the victims carried a placard addressing the government questioning “How many infernos do you need to leave?”

"I will work with the utmost determination towards the implementation of the program I proposed during the electoral campaign," Mubarak said.

Only hours after Mubarak was sworn in, Kefaya members took their own oath, vowing to continue opposition to the president – dubbed "the last Pharaoh" -- and against alleged plans to bequeath rule of Egypt to his son Gamal, now head of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) ‘s influential policy committee.

"We swear by God not to stop before you (Mubarak) quit. We swear by God to continue our quest for freedom and bread.

"We swear by God Almighty that you (Mubarak) will not bequeath (your post) and that we will never be governed by the son of Hosni and Suzanne Mubarak."

“Our demonstration was in protest against the swearing in of Mubarak and to prove we will continue,” Ahmed Bahaaeddin Shaaban, one of Kefaya founders told IOL Tuesday, September 27.

“We are after real democracy for the Egyptian citizens,” he added.

Mubarak

Earlier Tuesday, Mubarak was sworn in before the Egyptian parliament, vowing to deliver on pledges for reform.

"I will work with the utmost determination towards the implementation of the program I proposed during the electoral campaign," Mubarak said, after taking the oath of office.

"We will hold legislative elections in November which will complete the experience of the presidential election," Mubarak said, vowing to "pursue democratization and economic liberalization."

During a campaign that saw rivals and newspapers openly attacking his regime for the first time, Mubarak promised to lift the state of emergency and create more than four million jobs.

Many of the nine defeated candidates in the September vote challenged the results, complaining of fraud and other irregularities, in protests which were backed by local non-government organizations which had monitored the polls, according to AFP.

After meeting Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif Monday, new US Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy, Karen Hughes, reminded Mubarak of his pledge to lift emergency laws, but Nazif told her it would take time.