Egypt poll result imminent
June 24, 2012
Thousands of supporters of both Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi and former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq gathered in public places around the country in anticipation of the electoral commission announcing the winner on Sunday.
The commission had said it would release the results at a press conference at 3:00 p.m. (1:00 p.m. UTC), but as the stated time came, it announced a further indefinite delay.
Hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters had already collected on Cairo's Tahrir Square on Saturday, determined to stay until an election result was released.
The number of supporters grew to the thousands within hours of the announcement that the results would be announced Sunday.
"Morsi, Morsi, God is the greatest," chanted Brotherhood supporters in expectation of a victory for their candidate.
Thousands of Shafiq supporters gathered across the city in the area of Nasr City, where they held up pictures of their candidate and of military ruler Hussein Tantawi, repeatedly chanting "the people and the army are one."
"Down with the rule of the Supreme Guide," campaigners shouted, referring to Morsi.
Tense times
Security preparations were amped up around the capital to avoid unrest when the commission makes its announcement, an interior ministry official told news agency AFP.
A delay in the announcement, initially scheduled for Thursday, has raised the question of whether the elections outcome is being negotiated, rather than counted.
The electoral commission, which administered the June 16-17 presdeintial runoff, postponed releasing the results following accusations by both candidates of vote tampering and illegal electioneering.
In the days following the poll, both parties also claimed victory in the election for a successor to ousted leader Hosni Mubarak, fuelling tensions between rival factions.
jlw/mr (Reuters, AFP, AP)