CAIRO, Egypt — Thousands rallied in Egypt against the country’s ruling military council on Friday, two days after a flare-up of street violence left at least nine dead and fueled a wave of Islamist-led opposition to the generals ahead of presidential elections.

Protesters plastered Cairo’s Tahrir square with banners reading, “Down with military rule.”

Campaigning for the May 23-24 vote was interrupted by Wednesday clashes outside the defense ministry in Cairo when still-unidentified assailants attacked protesters, mostly backers of a disqualified ultraconservative candidate.

Demonstrators blamed the generals, who took control of the country after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak last year, of being behind the violence.