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Mohammed Abed / AFP - Getty Images
Egyptian security forces help a woman after she voted at a polling station in Cairo on Sunday.
Updated at 9:16 p.m. ET: CAIRO - Egyptians anxiously waited for their first freely elected president on Sunday after two days of voting that was to be the culmination of their Arab Spring revolution but which many fear may now only compound political and economic uncertainty.
The Muslim Brotherhood said on Monday that its candidate, Mohammed Morsi, was holding on to a lead of 54 percent with 90 percent of the polling stations counted, Reuters reported. Morsi's rival, ex-military man Ahmed Shafiq had 46 percent of the votes counted, the Brotherhood official told Reuters.
Each campaign is allowed to have representatives in polling stations to watch the count.
In a country unused to free elections, it was unclear when the official final result would emerge. After a first round of voting last month, which knocked out several popular candidates, it took several hours.
On Monday, the new president, whether Morsi or Shafiq, will be told, along with the rest of the country, what powers he will have by the ruling generals. Military and legal sources told Reuters the military council would take back legislative powers for now from a new, Islamist-dominated parliament that it has dissolved following a court ruling voiding an earlier election.
Turnout, which was only 46 percent in the first round of the presidential vote, appeared to electoral officials to have been no higher for the decisive head-to-head contest. Many of the 50 million eligible voters were dismayed by an unpalatable choice between a man seen as an heir to Mubarak and the nominee of a religious party committed to reversing liberal social traditions. Some cast a ballot against both men in protest.
NBC's Richard Engel reports from Cairo, Egypt, where citizens are hitting the polls to choose between two contrasting candidates.
"I'll cross out both Morsi and Shafiq because neither deserves to be president," said Saleh Ashour, 40, a shopkeeper in the middle-class Cairo neighborhood of Dokki as he went to vote. "I want to make a statement by crossing out the two names.
"Just staying away is too passive."
Shafiq, 70, had promised he had heeded the lessons of the revolution 16 months ago and offered security and prosperity. Morsi, 60, tried to widen his appeal beyond the Brotherhood's committed and disciplined base by pledging to preserve a pluralist democracy and finally end a history of military rule.
In the second city, Alexandria, computer engineer Sameh Youssef, 30, was wary of Islamist rule but wanted to honor the dead of an uprising launched by frustrated young urbanites: "I will vote Morsi," he said. "Not because I like him but because I hate Shafiq. Between us and Shafiq there is blood."
In Old Cairo, however, 56-year-old physician Khalil Nagih echoed the sentiments of many, including Christians like himself, whose mistrust of the Brotherhood and desire for an end to a year of chaos outweighed anxiety about the army's role:
"I chose Shafiq because he has experience of administration and was an officer. He is a straight talker and he speaks to all communities. He says he'll solve our problems and I believe him. Morsi will bring a religious state and take Egypt backwards."
In Egypt vote, little enthusiasm for presidential finalists
Whoever wins, Egypt's political landscape is hazy beyond one clear landmark - the 20 or so senior commanders around Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, whose Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) claimed sovereign power after easing out their brother officer Mubarak to appease the millions on the streets.
In what opponents denounced as "coup", the SCAF dissolved parliament after judges, appointed under Mubarak, ruled on Thursday that a legislative election over the winter breached legal rules and would have to be re-run.
The Brotherhood and hardline Islamist allies dominated the new chamber, and risk losing seats in any new vote, having alienated many outside their core support base. Among failings they are accused of was the inability to form a consensus body to draw up the new constitution Egyptians are hoping for.
As presidential voting was ending, military and legal sources told Reuters that the military council would promulgate an amended constitutional decree on Monday returning to itself the legislative powers it handed to parliament this year.
"In the absence of parliament, legislative powers move back to the military council, which has been in charge of the country and will hand over presidential powers to the president soon," a military source told Reuters.
The decree would also define the new president's powers: "The country's head of state will have the power to appoint a prime minister and cabinet ministers," the military source said.
A lawyer who attended a meeting with the military council on Sunday said: "The presidential powers which the military council held until now will now shift to the new president."
The Brotherhood has rejected the army's power to dissolve parliament and warned of "dangerous days". But though some have compared events to those in Algeria 20 years which ended in civil war between the military and Islamists, many doubt that the Brotherhood has an appetite for violence at present.
Egyptians protest against old regime day before presidential election
Many opponents of military rule have also complained that the Brotherhood has overreached itself in seeking both legislative and presidential power, limiting its broader appeal.
Egyptians massed in their millions against Mubarak in January last year in the hope that his removal would end poverty, corruption and police brutality. Many now seem tired of the social turmoil and political bickering that ensued.
"Egypt writes the closing chapter of the Arab Spring," read a headline on Sunday in independent newspaper al-Watan, which said the election offers a "choice between a military man who aborted the revolution and a Muslim Brother who wasted it."
Monitors said they had seen only minor and scattered breaches of election rules by Sunday morning but not the kind of systematic fraud that tainted elections under Mubarak, despite mutual accusations of irregularities by the rival camps.
A win for Shafiq may prompt street protests by the Islamists and some of the disillusioned urban youths who made Cairo's Tahrir Square their battleground last year. Should Morsi prevail, he may be frustrated by an uncooperative military elite, for all the generals' pledges to cede power by July 1.
Egypt's armed forces have built up massive wealth and commercial interests, helped since the 1970s by a close U.S. alliance which followed the decision of the most populous Arab state to make peace with Israel.
Many Egyptians say the army is just one wing of an entrenched security establishment that has resisted reform and oversight since Mubarak left and would wield influence long after the promised handover to an elected civilian.
"There is no doubt that the state in all its institutions - judicial, military, interior, foreign and financial - back Shafiq for president and are working to that end," said Hassan Nafaa, a politics professor who campaigned against Mubarak.
"It is very difficult to eradicate this spirit of Mubarak."
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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According to Egypt Independent- Hamas; al- Qassam Brigades had infiltrated Egypt through 23 tunnels to commit terrorist acts and sow chaos (http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/hamas-denies-reports-members-entering-egypt-sow-chaos) Also read on the same site-how MB had premarked ballots.
"With polls closed and results from 46 polling stations in, Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi had roughly twice as many votes as Ahmad Shafiq, former prime minister under Hosni Mubarak, according to NBC News."
Bad news for the United States, since the Muslim Brotherhood is filled with Islamic extremists.
I know how they feel.
Yep, same thing is happening here in the USA. Crap on both ends of the stick.
And after all that, the Egyptian Military dissolves Parliament, assigns Constitution writing Committee, lets Egyptians have their silly little President Election....and Nothing has changed...The Military still rules Egypt...The New Egyptian President will have even less power than the Queen of England....
egypt is different than...the two choices of corporate america...that suck...got'a look for a independent...who wants what americans want...which is their country back...
Good bye Women rights hello Sharif Law
""We are forced to make this choice. We hate them both," said Sayed Zeinhom at Cairo's Boulak el-Dakrour, a densely populated maze of narrow dirt alleys and shoddily built houses. Mahmoud el-Fiqi, waiting with him at a polling center, offered, "Egypt is confused." "
Same as this country ,thats our brand of democracy. Its good to see the egyptians learned something from us. Have the status quo control the revolution and you just get different puppets to vote for.
Remember its not the voters who count but who counts the votes.
How can you start anew with the same ole criminals calling the shots from behind the curtain?
“Truth hurts. Maybe not as much as jumping on a bicycle with a seat missing, but it hurts.”
-Naked Gun
"Islam is the solution." That's the Muslim Brotherhood's famous slogan. Good luck with that.
They are becoming Westernized. Having "gunfights" in the narrow dirt streets like in Clint Eastwood/Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns.
Of course, this article did not stop to explain that the 'gunfight' had nothing to do with the election, but was between street vendors arguing over who had a right to what space on the street. Let's take something like a standard Detroit squabble and make it into an international incident by reporting on it in the context of the Egyptian election, shall we? Why not report on all the street violence in Detroit, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Washington DC in the same paragraph as Obama's latest campaign strategy of letting illegal aliens stay in this country to attend schools.
To attend school and for us to pay for them to attend school. Terrible. I hope that plan changes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9slquoIuPC8
2-14-11 Niall Ferguson delivers a stinging analysis of the Egypt situation and Obama's over all foreign policy. The Harvard professor put Mika Brzezinski in her place and then delivered a cerebral smack down that left her head spinning. Ferguson stated the Muslim Brotherhood wants to deliver a caliphate and the Egypt uprising may be similar to that of Iran in 1979. This is a great clip and Niall Ferguson impressed the heck out of me and left the liberals at MSNBC reeling.
Here's another take:
Mika Brzezinski thought she was going to humiliate Niall Ferguson because he's not all excited about the glorious Democratic uprising in Egypt. She naively says things went 'pretty damn well' in Egypt, explaining that she saw pictures and people looked really happy over there. Doesn't take long for Niall to completely destroy Mika's juvenile view of Egypt, in what amounts to nothing less than a humiliating spanking.
This is worth a look.
Excellent commentary by Niall Ferguson. Some people don't have a clue that by bringing "democracy" to these countries, it doesn't necessarily mean that country is going to become a free democratic society. The student uprisings in Iran in the '70's and subsequent installation of a fundamentalist theocratic government should be evidence of that. Sure, the Muslin Brotherhood may be voted in democratically, but what happens to that country remains to be seen. It's already been promised if elected, a return to Islamic values, one form of dictatorship to another. I couldn't believe the female journalist, "if you see the pictures everyone looks happy", what an idiotic comment. Does she think that means everyone is happy and all is well? All this Arab Spring movement has been is an opportunity for Islamic Extremists to come into power, I think that will happen in most places where the leaders have been toppled.
Great clip!
Those who fomented this "Arab Spring" are very happy now. Face it they need to keep the perpetual bogeyman going to justify the finishing touches of a police state here in the US and have the Arab world disintegrate before their eyes. When these Islamists can't fix the problems that the West helped to create, they will lose face, then you will have totally corrupt Westernized politicians take over. ISrael wins big with the scenario as well, as the newbies will no doubt be bought off by Western bankers, most of whom which are of Jewish origin. They get rich off of the perpetual war, and when Islam goes down, the bought off secular politicians just follow the corrupt template already being done by their corrupt western counterparts.
Robert Bruce70
http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/17/12270842-military-guards-egypt-power-as-islamists-claim-victory
In comments said:
"loose whores like the average American woman"
The British commentators can posess a level of communication that can put those in the US to shame.
I wonder if Morning Joe will invite him back for an, "I told you so", moment. Ha!
Disney Movie coming to a theater near you, soon.
"Cairo dispute triggers gunfight"
Now there's a surprise. Islamists will take over, as they did in Libya and everywhere else Obama meddles. It's his Dreams from His Father(s). You know, the book whose blurb in 2007 said he was born in Kenya and wasn't "corrected" until now?
Wherever Obama meddles? Like Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan? I wonder what might have prevented Obama from needing to meddle in those countries? Gee, perhaps inheriting two wars might have something to do with it, huh?
Well actually sending in "Made in USA" drones into Pakiston and other countries, killing women and children? Yeah, try to blame others, but will not work. Cry baby.
Pretty difficult not to kill women and children when the terrorists hide behind them, using them as human shields. Let's try putting the blame where it REALLY lies for once!
Steel Toe. Great plan of yours. You want to kill all the women and children thus eliminating Islam. That be gonne make a lot of people love use. Sort of the same thinking of the KKK, Are you KKK memeber?
I'm a person who doesn't believe in kissing the asses of terrorists. Why don't you address my point...that it's the terrorists who are responsible for the deaths of innocent women and children by being cowards and hiding behind them. They set up a terrorist headquarters in a grade school full of kids, and you find nothing wrong with that??? They shoot up school buses full of kids, but they're not responsible??? Do you belong to the Taliban? Only a terrorist sees nothing wrong with these things.
Whole bunch of propaganda there, my friend. Folks use that sort of excuses to justify their bigoted hatred of Islam
Not too long ago we used that sort of exucse in Vietnam. How oftend did WE hear "The Asians do not hold life in the same manner as we do. They could care less if their children are killed" And long long ago, WE called the Native Americans "savages" to justify their systematic elimination. And then again look what we did to the African Americans. We bought and sold them like .. like .. personal property with the idea that they were somehow less human than WE were, Wake up. Look a reality.
You STILL refuse to address my point. And you distort history. I was there during the Viet Nam war. The REAL fact was "The Communists do not hold life in the same manner as we do. They could care less if the North Vietnamese children are killed" As far as the Indians go, I wasn't there and neither were you. What you choose to believe is entirely dependent on which history books you read. There is no doubt that they were treated badly, but only people who are losing the argument have to resort to going "long long ago" to try to validate their point. You and I live here and now. You and I KNOW what the terrorists are doing to women and children. You condone it by being their apologist. I will never condone it.
PS.; I never mentioned Islam....you did. I said 'terrorists' and 'Taliban'. I guess you're actually the bigot...in your heart. OR....you're just tossing that term around to muddle your losing argument. I choose #2.
Our Drones target Islam. Only. Nobody else. That is my point.
wakani
Please say "your drones" not "our drones". We certainly do not want you standing in any away that looks like you are a part of US.
Thanks, from the vast majoritgy of the American people.
So when Syrian troops or rebels kill civilians en mass they did it on purpose, but if US troops do it it is because the bad guys hide in the civilian population. Maybe it is because our young kids are sociopaths with guns who can do whateverthey want over there without any possiblilty of repurcussions. Didn't a group of US troops pose like 2 months ago with a Waffen SS flag? Great bunch of guys to emulate there Steeltoe. Face it, US troops are in the temporary employ as mercenaries/hitmen for the corrupt political/economic class of Western finance.
Robert Bruce70
http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/17/12270842-military-guards-egypt-power-as-islamists-claim-victory
In comments said:
"loose whores like the average American woman"
The US made the same mistake as it did in 1979. In both cases, with liberal presidents in the White House, we supported the "opposition" and replaced friendly governments with hostile and fanatical muslim terrorists. I would prefer dictators who are my friends over terrorists who want to kill me.
Spoken like someone who didn't live under the knives and car batteries of the SAVAK.
sounds like American elections. Most people hate all of the candidates. The candidates only care about their own interests and not about the citizens. Far right and far left. Candidates in the middle would be best but the parties can't allow that.
Whole heap of wisdom in that post. I like Obama, do not like his leftist policies. That said I simply could not vote for Mitty, no way, ever. John McCain was/is a joke. An "Independents" view.
You guys are exagerating. Obama nad romney, for all their flaws, are a long way from what Egypt is stuck with.
If we are choosing between bad and worse, they are choosing between worser and worst.
I do hope you are corrrect. but I am not all that convinced. Yes I will reluctantly vote, because I have to.
wakani
Who are you voting for, the muslim brotherhood?
We need a constitutionally mandated "none of the above" box on our ballots.
Obama is not elligible in the Egytian elections. Quit wishing for the worst case scenario.
Some say Hussein is not elligible to be our Pres here either? But he is so it does not matter. Move on, nothing else to see here.
We will have an answer in twelve to twenty-four hours. Tune in then.
Well, Obama and Hillary wanted the "revolution" to succeed. It did so live with the choice you have. Was it better to have Mubarak who could hold the country together or what you are going to get? You were afraid of a vacuum if Saddam Hussein was ousted and that is what you got in Egypt. You will have the same thing in Syria.