After two rounds of elections, appeals filed by both sides and delays in delivering a final announcement the Presidential Electoral Commission addressed the nation from the State Information Service Press Hall, declaring that after nearly one week of reviewing the election results they have found Mohamed Morsi, candidate from the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party to have unequivocally defeated Ahmed Shafiq, former Prime Minister under Hosni Mubarak, making him the President of Egypt with 51% of the vote.
Crowds gathered across Egypt, awaiting the final result of an intense week of anxious guessing, premature claims of victory, and accusations of election fraud.
In Tahrir Square, Supporters of Mohamed Morsi, have been gathered in the tens of thousands since last Thursday celebrating what they have claimed since almost the first poll centers closed was his victory.
In Nasr City, supporters of Shafiq gathered since last night at the Memorial of the Unknown Soldier greeted the news with disappointment voiced in anger, tears and calls for a recount, their fears of a Muslim Brotherhood-led Egypt realized in the PEC announcement.
President Morsi inherits a nation divided. Those who voted against him fear at best a marriage of religion and state, and at worst an Islamization of the identity of the nation.
Mohamed Morsi and his party have faced significant loss of control over Egypt’s governance in the last three months. A High Court declaration dissolved the parliament they dominated and another court still threatens to dissolve their party based on a Nasser-era law.
Ahmed Shafiq’s support rested on the presumption of a return to stability. His supporters will face off against the new government with strong demands for a swift stabilization of the nation’s security and economy.
