Egypt military vows to hand over power as Islamist claims victory

The vow came hours after Islamist candidate Mohammed Morsi claimed victory in the first free presidential vote since the ousting of authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak.

Major-General Mohammed al-Assar, a senior member of the ruling council, said the generals would transfer power in a “grand ceremony”.

While not giving an exact date, or mentioning Mr Morsi by name, he said the new president will have the authority to appoint and dismiss the government, and the military council has no intention of taking away any of the president’s powers.

“We’ll never tire or be bored from assuring everyone that we will hand over power before the end of June,” al-Assar told a televised news conference.

The military council issued an interim constitution just as polls were closing late on Sunday night that gave the generals sweeping authority to maintain their grip on power and subordinate the nominal head of state.

Though official results have not yet been announced, the Muslim Brotherhood released a tally that showed Mr Morsi took nearly 52 per cent of the vote to defeat Mubarak’s last Prime Minister, Ahmed Shafiq with about 48 per cent in a very close race.

The count was based on results announced by election officials at individual polling centres, where each campaign has representatives who compile and release the numbers before the formal announcement.

The Shafiq campaign rejected Mr Morsi’s claim of victory and accused him to trying to “usurp” the presidency or lay the groundwork to challenge the official result if it shows Mr Shafiq winning.

“What the other candidate has done threatens Egypt’s future and stability,” said the statement, adding that initial indications show Mr Shafiq is undoubtedly ahead with between 51.5 and 52 per cent.

If Mr Morsi’s victory is confirmed in the official result, expected on Thursday, it would be the first victory of an Islamist as head of state in the stunning wave of pro- democracy uprisings that has swept the Middle East in the last 16 months.

But the military’s last-minute power grab sharpens the possibility of confrontation and more of the turmoil that has beset Egypt since Mubarak’s overthrow in February 2011.

By noon yesterday, several hundred flag-waving supporters had gathered at Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the birthplace of the uprising, to celebrate.

In a victory speech at his headquarters in the middle of the night, Mr Morsi, 60, sought to assuage the fears of many Egyptians that the Brotherhood will try to impose stricter provisions of Islamic law.

He said he seeks “stability, love and brotherhood for the Egyptian civil, national, democratic, constitutional and modern state” and made no mention of Islamic law.

“Thank God, who successfully led us to this blessed revolution. Thank God, who guided the people of Egypt to this correct path, the road of freedom, democracy,” the US-educated engineer said.

Just a few days before the presidential run-off on Saturday and Sunday, the military granted itself broad new powers to arrest civilians and a court packed with judges appointed by Mubarak dissolved the parliament freely elected after the uprising, which was dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood.

The interim constitution announced late on Sunday declared the military rulers the country’s lawmakers in lieu of the dissolved parliament, gave them control over the budget and the power to determine who writes the permanent constitution that will define the country’s future.