I have nothing to fear, I only fear God, I am here among you.Egyptian President Elect Mohammed Morsi • Opening his jacket to reveal he was not wearing a bulletproof vest while taking a symbolic oath of office in Tahrir Square in front of throngs of cheering suppoters. A bold move by the first Islamist president-elect, who was defying orders from military generals who were to hold Morsi’s official swearing-in ceremony in front of a high court on Saturday. source (via • follow)
A delay in announcing the result, initially scheduled for Thursday, was explained by officials as required to deal with appeals over local voting irregularities. But it has prompted Brotherhood concern that the military-led “deep state”, left over when Mubarak was toppled last year, was trying to steal their victory, just as it routinely rigged votes in the past.
“We want the military council to announce the real results without forgery,” said Hassan Eissa, 43, an accountant from north of Cairo who was demonstrating on the square. He accused the army of reneging on promises to hand over when it dissolved the Islamist-led parliament on the eve of the presidential run-off and then took for itself legislative powers by decree.
Muslim Brotherhood supporters, who believe their candidate, Mohamed Morsi, won the vote, have filled Tahrir Square day and night in recent days.
» What the military can do: The military currently has a right, due to this resolution, to control the military without any civilian oversight, to introduce a new constitution, and to exercise full legislative authority — in other words, to pass laws at will. This is bad news, and some have called SCAF’s power grab tantamount to a coup. The group, however, says they’ll hand power over to the new president by the end of June, but will that promise hold?
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Mohamed Morsi’s campaign claims victory, saying that the Muslim Brotherhood candidate has clinched 52.5 percent of the vote. In a press conference at their headquarters in Cairo, the campaign also announced that Shafiq got about 47 percent of the vote. Counting has been completed at slightly more than 97 percent of polling stations. After the announcement, a handful of Morsy supporters chanted, “The free revolutionaries will continue to victory!” and “Down with military rule!”
The vote has not been confirmed by outside sources, but is being widely reported at this time.
Egypt’s highest court ruled on Thursday that lawmakers in parliament were illegally elected and ordered the Islamist-dominated parliament dissolved, forcing a re-vote.
In a second order, the Supreme Constitutional Court ruled the last prime minister to serve under Hosni Mubarak can stay in the presidential race.
As a result of a third of the legislature being elected illegally, the court says in its explanation of the ruling, “the makeup of the entire chamber is illegal and, consequently, it does not legally stand.”
An earlier court ruled as such, and the Supreme Constitutional Court agreed. This ruling means that a new election will have to be held for the 498 seats in parliament — a ruling that hurts Islamist parties like the Muslim Brotherhood the most.
Little-known to the wider public, Morsi is a famously boring speaker who reduces Egyptian journalists to teeth-gnashing frustration as he rarely says anything remotely quotable. He was ridiculed as a ‘spare’ after Shater’s disqualification, and some people waved tyres at his rallies to emphasise the point. But the Brotherhood’s well-oiled machine seems to matter more than his underwhelming personality.Guardian reporter Ian Black • Writing about Mohammed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood’s lead candidate for Egyptian president. Black’s point? Morsi, usually a behind the scenes guy, is in a good position to win because his party is a well-oiled machine. Morsi is currently leading in the results, with either Ahmed Shafiq (a former premier under Hosni Mubarak) or Hamdeen Sabbahi (a Nasserist) his likely opponent in a runoff election.
» While many polling places are reporting smooth sailing, Egypt’s election day has not been without incident, and many are shocked by voter turnout compared to November’s parliamentary elections. Some towns have seen as few as ten percent of the voting population cast a vote, though some analysts predict there will be an evening surge as adults get off work, and outdoor temperatures begin to drop. There have also been sporadic reports of bribery on the parts of various campaigns. Both the Muslim Brotherhood, and the campaign of candidate Kafr al-Sheikh, have allegedly distributed food and money in exchange for votes, though both groups have denied the allegations.
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» “The conditions for candidacy”: News broke early this hour that ten candidates for the Egyptian presidency, among them the Muslim Brotherhood’s Khairat al-Shater and former Mubarak-era spy chief Omar Suleiman (who’s intention to run sparked heavy protest), have been barred from appearing on May’s presidential ballot. Egypt is still under the sway of a ruling military council, which has been the source of much criticism since the fall of the Mubarak government last year – officials gave no concrete reason for this move, besides the ten not meeting the aforementioned “conditions of candidacy,” and said they’ll have 48 hours to appeal the decision.
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The dawn of a new system? That should certainly be the hope following the closing of polls in Egypt’s first democratic election of the modern political era. The reporting on instances of fraud or abuse during the elections have, to this point, not been particularly widespread or damaging; the relative calm with which the process was carried out, as well as high voter turnout (70%+), would seem to suggest an engaged electorate eager to install their own leadership, and to bring an end to military rule. source
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Egypt headed to the polls today: In this photo via ITV News, you can see a small portion of the crowds that gathered to vote in this week’s elections in Egypt. No protests broke out on the first day — a change of pace from last week’s protests in Tahrir Square. In fact, reports of violence were rare, and voter fraud was rare. Here’s to hoping the events have begun to usher in a new era and a more positive Egypt. source
We will not relinquish power because of a slogan-chanting crowd. Being in power is not a blessing. It is a curse. It’s a very heavy responsibility.Egyptian Maj. Gen. Mukhtar el-Mallah • Emphasizing that the Egyptian military has no plans to relinquish power before the elections take place. Another general noted that, despite the recent unrest, the military had no plan’s to delay Tuesday’s parliamentary elections: “We will not delay elections. This is the final word,” said Gen. Mamdouh Shaheen, who, along with el-Mallah, is a member of member of the ruling military council. source (via • follow)
It’s not over: The events unfolding in Egypt of late are a striking reminder (and a very condensed sort of case study) in the perils of looking beyond or away from a nation after an ostensibly successful, popular revolution. All these months later, Egyptians are back in Tahrir Square, being beaten and killed as they call on the new ruling faction in Egypt, the military itself, to hold immediate elections. To date, a number estimated around 2,000 Egyptians have been injured in the neo-Tahrir protests, with at least 37 killed. source
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