CAIRO --�Both Egyptian presidential candidates claimed victory on Monday, even though ballots were still being tallied and the extent of power the victor would have remained unclear after a bold assertion of control by Egypt?s military generals.
At an early morning news conference, Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi declared himself the winner and promised to save and serve Egypt. Former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq?s campaign said it had won, however, with 53 percent of the vote.
Key events leading up to the first presidential election since the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak.
Thousands, maybe millions, began reading about what a 9-year-old in Scotland has for lunch after local officials appeared to try to rein her in.
The Myanmar opposition leader received the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to her 21 years ago.
President Viktor Yanukovich has been unable to cement his grip on power, and his imprisonment of rival Yulia Tymoshenko is increasing the country?s isolation.
�Final results aren?t expected until Thursday, but Brotherhood predictions have proven accurate in the past, and Morsi was ahead in the polls with 51.6 percent of the vote, according to the state-run Al Ahram Web site. Just after dawn, Morsi supporters trickled into Tahrir Square to celebrate the conservative Islamist?s purported victory.
At his news conference, Morsi vowed to be the man, ?who carries [Egyptians?] concerns and seeks to service them.?
Meanwhile, two leading legislators were barred from entering parliament, according to Al Ahram. Egypt?s ruling military council dissolved the lower house of parliament on Friday following a court ruling that invalidated the election of about one-third of its members. On Sunday, the military leaders issued a constitutional decree that gave the armed forces sweeping powers and downgraded the presidency to a subservient role.
The seizure of power followed months in which Egypt?s ruling generals had promised to cede authority to a new civilian government by the end of June. Instead, activists and political analysts said, the generals? move marked the start of a military dictatorship, a sharp reversal from the promise of Egypt?s popular revolt last year.
The declaration, published in the state gazette, had been expected, but its details indicate that the military has asserted far greater authority than observers had anticipated. Under the order, the president will have no control over the military?s budget or leadership and will not be authorized to declare war without the consent of the ruling generals.
The document said the military would soon name a group of Egyptians to draft a new constitution, which will be subject to a public referendum within three months. Once a new charter is in place, a parliamentary election will be held to replace the Islamist-dominated lower house that was dissolved Thursday after the country?s high court ruled that one-third of the chamber?s members had been elected unlawfully.
?With this document, Egypt has completely left the realm of the Arab Spring and entered the realm of military dictatorship,? said Hossam Bahgat, a prominent human rights activist. ?This is worse than our worst fears.?
The declaration left little doubt that the generals have moved aggressively to preserve and expand their privileged status after a transitional period that revealed the significant appeal of Islamist politicians. It also indicates the military leadership?s concern about accountability if a system of civilian rule with checks and balances were to take root.
Source: http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=8d0dae6ad4d73b390d107f64fda85d37
world news 2011 world news 2011 japan world news 2011 libya world news 2011 march world news bbc
No comments:
Post a Comment