Hosni Mubarak resigned as president of Egypt after eighteen consecutive days of mass demonstrations centred on Tahrir Square in Cairo, ending nearly thirty years in office.
Vice-President Omar Suleiman made the announcement in a brief televised statement, saying authority had been transferred to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. Hundreds of thousands of people celebrated in central Cairo and in Alexandria and Suez.
The protests had persisted through curfews, an internet shutdown and violent clashes around the square. Egypt entered a period of military-led transition that shaped its politics for years afterwards.
