Cairo: Egyptian are waiting for the election results for the second time as the protesters have remained in Cairo’s Liberation Square for the fifth consecutive day, protesting what they see as a power grab by military rulers.
Egyptians will learn the winner of a divisive presidential election Sunday after the results were delayed following victory claims by both candidates that have sparked tensions between the rival camps.
The electoral commission overseeing the contest between Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Mursi and former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq said it would announce the official winner at 3:00 pm (1300 GMT).
By Saturday evening, hundreds of Brotherhood supporters determined to occupy Cairo’s iconic Tahrir Square until the election result was published, had been joined by others, swelling their numbers to the thousands.
“Mursi, Mursi, God is the Greatest,” the protesters chanted in anticipation of a victory for their candidate.
Across the city, in the Nasr City neighborhood, thousands of Shafiq supporters held up pictures of their candidate and of military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, chanting “the people and the army are one.”
“Down with the rule of the Supreme Guide,” protesters shouted, referring to the head of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Both Mursi and Shafiq have claimed victory in the election for a successor to Hosni Mubarak with tensions deepening after the electoral commission delayed announcing the official outcome.
Egypt’s Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) announced the dissolution of the parliament on June 16 following an earlier Supreme Court ruling, assuming full legislative powers.
The council also gave itself the veto power on a new constitution and the right to arrest civilians for trial in military courts.
The measures, taken before the results of the country’s presidential run-off vote are released, have raised fears that the ruling junta is planning to put its favored candidate at the helm.
This is while both candidates in Egypt’s presidential election have claimed victory.
The Muslim Brotherhood announced that its candidate Mohamed Morsi had won 52 percent of the votes, four percent more than Ahmed Shafiq.
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