Wednesday, 20 June 2012
By AL ARABIYA WITH AGENCIES
A coalition of independent judges in Egypt said on Wednesday that the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate Mohammed Mursi has won the presidential election, beating former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq, according to their tally.
The group, named “Judges for Egypt,” said Mursi had won with 13.2 million votes while Shafiq had amassed 12. 3 million.
The union of reformist judges chose to independently monitor the elections process in Egypt.
The numbers were similar to the results announced by Mursi’s campaign on Wednesday.
But Mursi’s rival, Mubarak’s last prime minister, Shafiq, has also claimed a victory, with his campaign accusing the Brotherhood of issuing false figures and insisting official results scheduled Thursday will declare him president.
Head of the group and former head of the judges’ union, Zakaria Abdel-Aziz, said that the difference in results is too big for any submitted appeals to affect the final outcome which is in favor of Mursi.
Earlier on Tuesday evening, the Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission said that it was not yet finished with assessing the vote-counting results, or looking into candidates’ appeals of results from certain polling stations.
The official announcement of the final results will be made by the Commission on Thursday.
The new president, irrespective of the result, will not wield the near-absolute authority that ousted former leader Hosni Mubarak enjoyed for three decades, after SCAF issued a constitutional declaration on Sunday claiming sweeping powers.
Mubarak’s successor will also inherit a struggling economy, increased insecurity and the challenge of uniting a nation divided by the uprising and its deadly aftermath.
The SCAF’s document said it would retake legislative powers from the Islamist-dominated parliament after the country’s constitutional court on Thursday ordered the body dissolved.
And it grants the military council veto power over the drafting of a permanent constitution, angering activists who denounced the declaration and an earlier order giving the army power to arrest civilians, as a “coup.”
The Brotherhood also rejected the declaration, insisting the parliament retains legislative power, and pledging to participate in “popular activities” against it.
On Tuesday night, they joined a mass demonstration in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, which attracted over 15,000 protesters, some celebrating Mursi’s win as much as denouncing the military move.
The numbers were similar to the results announced by Mursi’s campaign on Wednesday.
But Mursi’s rival, Mubarak’s last prime minister, Shafiq, has also claimed a victory, with his campaign accusing the Brotherhood of issuing false figures and insisting official results scheduled Thursday will declare him president.
Head of the group and former head of the judges’ union, Zakaria Abdel-Aziz, said that the difference in results is too big for any submitted appeals to affect the final outcome which is in favor of Mursi.
Earlier on Tuesday evening, the Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission said that it was not yet finished with assessing the vote-counting results, or looking into candidates’ appeals of results from certain polling stations.
The official announcement of the final results will be made by the Commission on Thursday.
The new president, irrespective of the result, will not wield the near-absolute authority that ousted former leader Hosni Mubarak enjoyed for three decades, after SCAF issued a constitutional declaration on Sunday claiming sweeping powers.
Mubarak’s successor will also inherit a struggling economy, increased insecurity and the challenge of uniting a nation divided by the uprising and its deadly aftermath.
The SCAF’s document said it would retake legislative powers from the Islamist-dominated parliament after the country’s constitutional court on Thursday ordered the body dissolved.
And it grants the military council veto power over the drafting of a permanent constitution, angering activists who denounced the declaration and an earlier order giving the army power to arrest civilians, as a “coup.”
The Brotherhood also rejected the declaration, insisting the parliament retains legislative power, and pledging to participate in “popular activities” against it.
On Tuesday night, they joined a mass demonstration in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, which attracted over 15,000 protesters, some celebrating Mursi’s win as much as denouncing the military move.
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