According to the figures released by Egyptian Health Ministry on Tuesday, the clashes in recent days in Egypt had caused 15 deaths and more than 2000 injuries.

Egypt's electoral officials announced on Monday that nominations for presidential candidacy will be started from March 10, a month earlier than the original date.

Analysts said, protesters in Egypt have been urging the country's military ruler to quickly hand over power to an elected government after a bloody football riot shocked the whole nation at the beginning of this month.

Analysts also pointed out the recent declarations of the armed forces also showed that all parties in Egypt were considering to speed up the election process.

RISE IN VIOLENCE

A football match riot that broke out last Wednesday in the northeastern city of Port Said, which killed at least 74 people and injured hundreds.

Shocked by the bloodshed, protestors in Cairo, Alexandra and Suez held demonstrations, blaming the police and the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which took power after former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was forced out by popular protests last February, for their inability to control the situation.

Protestors also urged the military generals to immediately hand over power to a civil authority.

In fact, massive demonstrations have erupted in Egypt since January as protesters demanded a swift power transfer in the country. Many of them vowed to keep protesting until their demand is met. Dissatisfaction with the armed forces and the Interior Ministry was further intensified by the football riot.

MILITARY COMPROMISE

Hussein Tantawi, head of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, on Monday discussed with the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court Farouk Sultan on necessary procedures for the upcoming presidential nominations.

Besides calling for earlier presidential elections, Egypt's demonstrators were also pressing the military to send Mubarak to prison.

The former Egyptian leader is being tried over his alleged role in cracking down the protesters last year. Because of his health conditions, Mubarak is being detained at an international medical center in east Cairo.

Fakhry el-Tahtawy, a professor of political science at Cairo University, said the military, to calm the protesters, could make more concessions.

NEW POWER STRUCTURE

On Jan. 23, the Egyptian military handed over the legislative authority to the newly-elected People's Assembly, or the lower house of parliament.

About 25 percent of the People's Assembly members blamed the football riot on the Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim and demanded reform of the Interior Ministry.

The Muslim Brotherhood, whose party members formed the single largest bloc in the People's Assembly, has said that the military budget must be subject to the supervision of the parliament, and the legislative body should also play a crucial role in investigating the bloodshed in the country.

Analysts said that the football riot brought more uncertainty to the security situation in Egypt. However, support from parties like the Muslim Brotherhood for swift power transfer will speed up the political transition in Egypt before the situation worsens further.