Egypt's powerful military stepped out of the shadows after Hosni Mubarak's overthrow to run the state in a constitutional vacuum, but questions still loom over its future political role, analysts say.
Mubarak resigned on Friday after a 30-year-reign and handed power to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, a body of some 20 generals who were mostly unknown to the general public before the uprising that brought him down.
The council now rules outside of a constitutional framework, analysts said, in exceptional circumstances not witnessed since the 1952 military coup that overthrew a puppet king and abolished the constitutional monarchy.
"The handover to the army effectively means that the constitution has been suspended," said Rabab al-Mahdi, professor of political science at the American University in Cairo.
"The council is now the executive body in the country. Each statement it issues is now the law," she said.
The new military leadership moved quickly to reassure citizens that it would respect the popular will, issuing four statements that have gradually asserted its authority.
On Saturday, in a televised statement entitled "Communique Number 4," the council said that the current government would remain in place temporarily until a new one could be sworn in after a "peaceful transition."
It also said it would pave the way for "an elected civil authority to build a free democratic state," although it set no timetable.
"It is not a regular process. There are no classical steps you can expect them to follow," Mahdi said.
The council does not meet regularly, but only in times of crisis.
This is its third session after similar meetings during the 1967 and 1973 wars, according to the US think tank Stratfor Global Intelligence.
"We don't know them. We are slowly discovering them," said Tewfik Aclimandos, a researcher with the Paris-based College de France.
"Even if they have a common vision, there could be some disagreements," he added.
But as the army becomes more visible, its far-reaching power in the economy and state institutions will start to come to light.
"This country has been ruled by the military since 1952," said Amr al-Shalakany, professor of law at Cairo University. "Until now, it had remained in the background."
The army has vowed to pave the way for a peaceful transition towards full democracy, but the extent to which it will loosen its grip on the country's affairs is yet to be determined.
"Now the negotiation must begin to ensure that the army takes a traditional role, and to make sure it will not have a role in politics," Shalakany said.
Human rights groups have accused the army of detaining anti-government protesters, some of whom have been tortured.
"Army officers and military police arbitrarily detained at least 119 people since the army took up positions in Egyptian cities and towns on the night of January 28, 2011, and in at least five cases tortured them," Human Rights Watch said.
Nationwide protests driven by young activists erupted on January 25 across the country, demanding Mubarak's overthrow and calling for political and democratic reforms.
The unprecedented numbers on the streets grew by tens of thousands this week as workers walked out en masse to show support for the widening revolt.
The army will now have to walk a tightrope to balance the demands of the uprising and its grip on power, Stratfor said.
"Unlike the original coup, the military takeover comes amid popular demands for democratic governance, and the military thus faces a large challenge in forging a system that will both placate the masses and allow the military to retain its hold on power," it said.
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