CAIRO — Egypt will release results from disputed presidential elections today, the country’s top elections commission official said — an announcement that will put an end to the country’s uncertainty but promises no resolution to the power struggles between Islamists, the military and other factions.
A gathering of secular-leaning politicians criticized on Saturday what they said was U.S. meddling on behalf of the Muslim Brotherhood, which has claimed victory. Other secularists have stood behind the Islamist group, calling it the likely legitimate winner and the best hope against military domination of the country.
The dispute highlights how the country has been split into deeply polarized camps since the June 16-17 runoff vote between the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate, Mohammed Morsi, and ousted leader Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq, with both campaigns claiming victory by a narrow margin.
Many Egyptians have rallied behind Morsi as a chance to rid the country of the old Mubarak regime. Others support Shafiq as the best bet to counter Islamists and restore order after a year of protests, economic hardship and instability.
But there is little hope that the results will produce an end to 16 months of political turmoil. A Morsi victory will likely see the new civilian government fight for its authority against a military that has ensured that its powers persist past the transition. A Shafiq victory will be seen by large sections of the public as illegitimate, as he is perceived as the favored candidate of the military rulers that appointed the election commission.
For the sixth straight day, thousands of Morsi supporters held a rally in Tahrir Square, endorsing his victory and calling on the military to rescind its recent decisions and restore the dissolved parliament. The Associated Press
