The under-fire Egyptian cabinet will not step down despite Saturday’s clashes between police and protesters in Tahrir Square and several other governorates that left two dead and around 950 injured, a government official said Sunday.

“We are in a critical period; the government cannot leave during the tense time the country is enduring,” the high-profile official told Ahram Online.

“We are also approaching the parliamentary elections, which will be decisive in determining the future of Egypt.”

Thousands of protesters have staged an open-ended sit-in at Tahrir square following yesterday's clashes. They vowed to stay put until the entire cabinet, including Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, resigns.

Sharaf has come in for fierce criticism during the past few months, with many saying his role is undermined by the authority the ruling military is wielding over him.

The prime minister was also vilified by many for declining to sack Interior minister Mansour El-Essawy, who has failed improve the battered security situation since being appointed in March.