Protesters descend on Tahrir Square

CAIRO, June 5 (UPI) -- Protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square were joined Tuesday by marchers from across the city, chanting against the former regime and the current military junta.

Fueling anger triggered by the verdict against former President Hosni Mubarak, who received a life sentence but saw his sons and aides exonerated, is the presence of Mubarak's former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq in the upcoming presidential election runoff, the British newspaper The Guardian reported.

Ahram Online said thousands of protesters descended on Tahrir Square, with protests also planned in other cities.

One march in Cairo was led by defeated presidential candidates Hamdeen Sabbahi, Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh and Khaled Ali, who alleged vote-rigging in the first round of the elections.

The three men are demanding the retrial of Mubarak, his sons and his aides. They also say Shafiq should be removed from the presidential runoff based on a disenfranchisement law that says members of the Mubarak regime cannot run for office.