Mohammed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate was declared winner of Egypt’s run off Presidential election, announced by the Higher Presidential election committee, led by Farouk Sultan on Sunday, 24′ June, 2012.
Farouk stated that Morsi scored 51.73% to floor his opponent and rivalry, Shafiq, to clinch the Presidency, amid Egypt political maze. It could be recalled that Egyptians, especially the Muslim Brotherhood, supporters of Mohammed Morsi had kept vigil at the Liberation Square in Cairo, anxiously, awaiting the announcement of the result of the Presidential run off polls.
The subsequent announcement of Morsi, as the winner of the
Presidential run off election in Egypt, heralded tens of thousands of Egyptians, celebrating Morsi’s victory.
Military helicopters hovered around, as fireworks rent the sky. Some other celebrants waved Egyptian flags and chanted Morsi, Morsi, in support of the President-elect.
Congratulatory messages flowed in from all parts of the world for Egypt’s President-elect, Mohammed Morsi. While congratulating Morsi, US authorities said that Egypt must continue with former regime’s policies.
Of note is that US has been paying Egypt millions of dollars to keep the Camp David Accord alive.
The military junta in Egypt as well as Ahmed Shafiq had also sent their congratulatory messages to the President-elect. Iran was also not left out.
The UN on her part, while congratulating the President-elect, advised Egypt to make strides towards consolidating the gains of democracy.
Of interest too, was the fact that, it was the first time ever that the Muslim Brotherhood is taking over power, since the Egyptian Monarch was over thrown in 1952.
In his speech the President-elect promised to unite the nation and continue with the revolutionary goals, help to rebuild national security and honour all treaties. Mohammed Morsi, who clocked 60 years old, hailed from the Nile village of Shakiya, and he is married with four children. He had his education both in Egypt and USA.
An engineer by Profession, he was a University don and an ardent leader of the Islamic Muslim Brotherhood, before contesting the Presidential polls.
New and daunting challenges faced the president-elect. Recently, he sat with the military junta to discuss various issues of concern confronting Egypt. Amongst which are the military junta’s control of budget, national security, Constitutional amendments as well as the sacking of the legislature.
Mohammed Morsi wants to get the military junta to loosen their grip on power and hand same over to the civilians.
Meanwhile, the President-elect is pushing ahead for his Cabinet and has met with Karmal former Prime Minister and the Military junta.
How the President-elect would handle the issues confronting Egypt, such as the delicate issue of pressurizing the military junta to completely cede powers to civilians, the threat posed by his supporters who had vowed to continue with the revolutionary goals, the making of compromises with his opponents and political rivalry, the shape and direction of Egypt’s foreign policy, remain the question.
All of these would decide to a great extent where Egypt would be heading to, in the next few weeks. ###
By Azuka Dibie
