Muslim Brotherhood candidate wins Egypt's presidential election

By kamoru sakiru

 

Morsi

Mohamed Morsi has been declared Egypt's first Islamist president, narrowly defeating Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister Ahmed Shafiq.

The Muslim Brotherhood candidate according to agency reports won 51.73% of last weekend's run-off vote, the state election committee said.

Mr Morsi won 13,230,131 votes, against Mr Shafiq, who clinched 12,347,380.

Thousands of Muslim Brotherhood supporters burst into cheers at Cairo's Tahrir Square,dancing and waving flags and posters of the Islamist leader.orsi has pledged that Egypt under his leadership will be inclusive, and he courted secular and Christian voters.

He promised an "Egyptian renaissance with an Islamic foundation" under his rule.

A retiring individual, Mr Morsi has vowed to uphold the goals of the revolution that ousted president Hosni Mubarak in a popular uprising last year, and to share power with other parties.

However, his victory appears to be symbolic after the military council, which ruled the Arab nation after Mubarak stood down, has this month curbed the powers of the presidency.

The changes mean the head of state will have to work closely with the army on a planned democratic constitution.

Mr Morsi, 60, is a US-educated engineer who spent time in jail under Mubarak.

He won the first round ballot in May with just under a quarter of the vote.

Many Egyptians were dismayed that what was billed as their first democratic presidential election turned into a power struggle between the military and the Muslim Brotherhood - the same forces that faced off under the old regime.

The election, in which more than 50 million voters were eligible to cast their ballot, saw a relatively low turnout of just 51.8%.

Foreign Secretary William Hague said it is "an historic moment for Egypt".

"I congratulate the Egyptian people for their commitment to the democratic process and electing a new president of Egypt," he said.

"I welcome Mr Morsi's statement that he intends to form an inclusive government that governs on behalf of all the Egyptian people.

"Britain will support the Egyptian people and their leaders as they take steps to consolidate their democratic rights and institutions and to reinvigorate the Egyptian economy."