Shafiq Camp Contests Brotherhood Claim that Mursi Won Egypt Presidency
The campaign of Egyptian presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq said on Monday it rejected a claim by the Muslim Brotherhood that its candidate Mohammed Mursi had won a historic presidential election.
"We reject it completely," Shafiq campaign official Mahmoud Barakeh told reporters of the Brotherhood's proclaimed victory.
"We are astonished by this bizarre behavior which amounts to a hijacking of the election results," he added, saying Shafiq's campaign had figures showing him leading the vote.
The Muslim Brotherhood announced Mursi's projected victory around 3:30 am local time (0030 GMT), with votes from over 90 percent of the country's polling stations tallied.
At a press conference shortly afterwards, Mursi's campaign director Ahmed Abdelati confirmed the projected victory, saying he had garnered 52.5 percent of the vote to 47.5 percent for Shafiq, a former prime minister under the ousted regime of president Hosni Mubarak.
"It’s a moment that all the Egyptian people have waited for," he said.
There were scenes of jubilation at Mursi's headquarters, where the candidate himself thanked Egyptians for their votes in brief remarks.
He pledged to work to "hand-in-hand with all Egyptians for a better future, freedom, democracy, development and peace."
"We are not seeking vengeance or to settle accounts," he said, adding that he would build a "modern, democratic state" for all Egypt's citizens, Muslims and Christians.
Supporters screamed with excitement, some wiping tears from their eyes. Several hundred held a victory rally in Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square after the announcement.
The Brotherhood mobilized their formidable network of supporters to receive tallies from polling stations across the country and deliver early unofficial results, but final official figures are not expected until June 21.
The jubilation at Mursi's headquarters was overshadowed however by a looming showdown between the Brotherhood and the ruling military, which issued a new constitutional document shortly after polls closed on Sunday.
The document issued by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces grants the body legislative powers after a top court on Thursday ordered the dissolution of the Islamist-dominated parliament.
The document also gives SCAF veto power over the text of a new permanent constitution, and states that no new parliamentary vote will be held until after a permanent constitution is approved.
Source: Agence France Presse
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