Egyptian Copts await Anxious the election result for the second time

Egyptian Copts await Anxious the election result for the second time.(AA).Egyptians will learn the winner of a divisive presidential election Sunday after the results were delayed following victory claims by both candidates that have sparked tensions between the rival camps. The electoral commission overseeing the contest between Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Mursi and former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq said it would announce the official winner at 3:00 pm (1300 GMT). By Saturday evening, hundreds of Brotherhood supporters determined to occupy Cairo’s iconic Tahrir Square until the election result was published, had been joined by others, swelling their numbers to the thousands. “Mursi, Mursi, God is the Greatest,” the protesters chanted in anticipation of a victory for their candidate.Morsi’s campaign have put him the winner by a 900,000 vote difference from the primary results they have gathered. Across the city, in the Nasr City neighborhood, thousands of Shafiq supporters held up pictures of their candidate and of military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, chanting “the people and the army are one.” “Down with the rule of the Supreme Guide,” protesters shouted, referring to the head of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Both Mursi and Shafiq have claimed victory in the election for a successor to Hosni Mubarak with tensions deepening after the electoral commission delayed announcing the official outcome. A huge security plan has been put in place in the capital to prevent unrest when the result is announced, an interior ministry official told AFP. On Friday, the SCAF warned it would deal “with utmost firmness and strength” with any attempts to harm public interests. The Brotherhood, for its part, warned against tampering with the election results, but said it had no intention of instigating violence. It has rejected a constitutional declaration by the military that strips away any gains made by the Islamist group since the popular uprising which forced Mubarak to stand down in February last year. The document dissolves the Islamist-led parliament and gives the army a broad say in government policy and control over the new constitution. It was adopted just days after a justice ministry decree granted the army powers of arrest. Those changes mean that even if Mursi wins the election, the Brotherhood is left with no parliament, no say in the constitution and a powerless president. “It’s a problem which we are trying to resolve,” one Brotherhood official said. By contrast supporters of Shafiq, 70, who was Mubarak’s last prime minister in his final desperate days, kept a low profile, although he did declare publicly on Thursday he was confident. A victory for Shafiq, who won backing in the run-off from many who decided they liked religious rule even less than a candidate drawn from the familiar military establishment, could spark protests from well-organized Islamist movements, which the army and security forces might confront on the streets. Reformist politician Mohammed ElBaradei said he had been in contact with the army and Mursi’s camp to avoid a showdown, but said he was worried that, if Shafiq ere declared winner, “we are in for a lot of instability and violence ... a major uprising.” His comments were carried by CNN on Saturday. CAIRO: As Egyptians patiently wait until 3 PM on Sunday for the official election results from the presidential run-off that ended a week ago, tensions remain high in the country over the future. On Saturday, Christian leaders, led by billionaire business man Naguib Sawiris’s Free Egyptians Party lashed out at the Muslim Brotherhood, ostensibly throwing their support behind the military junta in the country. The press conference angered many activists and heightened tension between the revolutionary powers in the country and the military, which on Friday had blamed the Brotherhood, and their candidate Mohamed Morsi, for the uncertainty and political turmoil in the country. “It is really a strange time right now in Egypt and I don’t know what is going to happen,” said Brotherhood supporter Omar Khaled. He said that if military strongman and jailed dictator Hosni Mubarak’s last Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq is named president, “the tension and anger could become very strong and people will not allow the military to take complete control of the country. The revolution lives on.” The announcement on Sunday afternoon will be read by Farouq Sultan, the head of the election committee. Both candidates’ camps have already announced victory and their supporters have already started celebrating.Hmmm..... The Brotherhood said it had no intention of instigating violence.Brotherhood supporter Omar Khaled: "people will not allow the military to take complete control of the country. The revolution lives on."Read the full story here.