Cairo: Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate Mohammed Morsi has claimed he has won in Egypt’s first free presidential election since Hosni Mubarak’s ouster last year amid the ruling military council issued constitutional amendments that gave sweeping authority to maintain its grip on power and subordinate the nominal head of state.
The constitutional amendments stripped the president of almost all significant powers. The military decreed that it will have legislative authority after a court dissolved parliament, it will control the drafting of a new constitution and will not allow civilian oversight of its significant economic interests or other affairs, AP reported.
Morsi has emerged as the most powerful political faction since the uprising. The Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party rejected the constitutional declaration, saying it was no longer within the authority of the military council to issue such a decree with less than two weeks left for the transfer of power.
Meanwhile in Washington, Pentagon spokesman George Little urged the ruling military to transfer full power to a democratically elected civilian government, as it pledged to do in the past.
The Freedom and Justice party also rejected the dissolution of parliament.
“The People’s Assembly stands and has legislative and oversight authority,” the party said in a statement posted on its website.
Maj-General Mohammed al-Assar, a senior member of the ruling council, said the generals would transfer power in a “grand ceremony”. He said the military council has no intention of taking away any of the president’s authorities.
“We’ll never tire or be bored from assuring everyone that we will hand over power before the end of June,” al-Assar told a televised news conference.
The first elected president in Egypt’s history celebrates victory in the final runoff after reliable tallies – from Morsi Campaign representatives based at polling stations across the country – show Morsi winning 52% of the vote.
Though official results have not yet been announced, the Brotherhood said in a report posted on its website: “The first elected president in Egypt’s history celebrates victory in the final runoff after reliable tallies – from Morsi Campaign representatives based at polling stations across the country – show Morsi winning 52% of the vote.”
It added: “According to results received from our representatives and from count records of all polling sites, signed by presiding judges, the results indicated 13,237,000 votes (thirteen million, two hundred and thirty-seven thousand votes) i.e. 52% for Dr. Morsi.
“His rival, General Ahmed Shafiq won 12,338,973 votes (twelve million, three hundred and thirty-eight thousand nine-hundred and seventy-three votes) i.e. 48%. and that of the total number of valid votes of 25,575,973 (twenty five million five hundred and seventy-five thousand nine hundred seventy-three votes).”
The Shafiq campaign rejected Morsi’s claim of victory and accused him to trying to “usurp” the presidency or lay the groundwork to challenge the official result if it shows Shafiq winning.
“What the other candidate has done threatens Egypt’s future and stability,” said the statement, adding that initial indications show that Shafiq is undoubtedly ahead with between 51.5 to 52 per cent.
If Morsi’s victory is confirmed in the official result expected on Thursday, it would be the first victory of an Islamist as head of state in the stunning wave of pro-democracy uprisings that swept the Middle East the past year. But the military’s last minute power grab sharpens the possibility of confrontation and more of the turmoil that has beset Egypt since Mubarak’s overthrow.
By midday, several hundred flag-waving supporters had gathered at Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the birthplace of the uprising, to celebrate.
In a victory speech at his headquarters in the middle of the night, Morsi said he seeks “stability, love and brotherhood for the Egyptian civil, national, democratic, constitutional and modern state” and made no mention of Islamic law.
“Thank God, who successfully led us to this blessed revolution. Thank God, who guided the people of Egypt to this correct path, the road of freedom, democracy,” he said.
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