The second day of voting in the runoff presidential election ended yesterday June 17.
Egyptians are now looking forward to know who will be their new president after the close of voting yesterday June 17, 2012 on the second day of the runoff presidential election. The results are expected by this Thursday.
Observers said Egypt’s first free presidential election in history posed an unpalatable choice between a former Air force Chief and last Premier of deposed President Hosni Mubarak, Ahmed Shafiq who ran as an independent candidate and an Islamist, Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party who says he is running for God.
Shafiq is running on a tough law-and-order platform while Mursi’s movement has vowed to uphold the goals of the uprising that propelled it to the forefront of Egyptian politics. The Agence France Presse news agency said the race has polarised the nation between those who fear a return to the old regime under Shafiq and those who want to keep religion out of politics and who accuse the Muslim Brotherhood of monopolising power since last year's revolt.
The election came after the June 14, 2012 Supreme Court ruling dissolving the new Parliament dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood, leaving many questioning if the generals who pushed aside fellow officer Mubarak last year to appease the pro-democracy protests of the Arab Spring will honour their vow to hand over power by the end of this month to whoever wins. The ruling also permitted Shafiq to go ahead and run in spite of a law barring former Mubarak regime officials from standing for office for 10 years.
Hassan el-Shafie, 33, an exasperated voter in Mansoura north of the capital, Cairo, described the two candidates as ‘useless,’ admitting that unfortunately, the people were presented with a stark reality – the choice between two extremes. Another voter, Souad, the head of department in a ministry, told Reuters news agency that he spoiled his ballot and did not vote for any of the candidates. He justified his decision by saying the situation in the country was like that of a mother whose child spilt his blood in Tahrir Square and she had not yet had justice.
The new President will inherit a struggling economy, deteriorating security and the daunting task of uniting a nation divided after the 18-day uprising that toppled Mubarak last year. The turn out on the first day of voting on Saturday was said to be low.
The second day of voting in the runoff presidential election ended yesterday June 17.
Egyptians are now looking forward to know who will be their new president after the close of voting yesterday June 17, 2012 on the second day of the runoff presidential election. The results are expected by this Thursday.
Observers said Egypt’s first free presidential election in history posed an unpalatable choice between a former Air force Chief and last Premier of deposed President Hosni Mubarak, Ahmed Shafiq who ran as an independent candidate and an Islamist, Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party who says he is running for God.
Shafiq is running on a tough law-and-order platform while Mursi’s movement has vowed to uphold the goals of the uprising that propelled it to the forefront of Egyptian politics. The Agence France Presse news agency said the race has polarised the nation between those who fear a return to the old regime under Shafiq and those who want to keep religion out of politics and who accuse the Muslim Brotherhood of monopolising power since last year's revolt.
The election came after the June 14, 2012 Supreme Court ruling dissolving the new Parliament dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood, leaving many questioning if the generals who pushed aside fellow officer Mubarak last year to appease the pro-democracy protests of the Arab Spring will honour their vow to hand over power by the end of this month to whoever wins. The ruling also permitted Shafiq to go ahead and run in spite of a law barring former Mubarak regime officials from standing for office for 10 years.
Hassan el-Shafie, 33, an exasperated voter in Mansoura north of the capital, Cairo, described the two candidates as ‘useless,’ admitting that unfortunately, the people were presented with a stark reality – the choice between two extremes. Another voter, Souad, the head of department in a ministry, told Reuters news agency that he spoiled his ballot and did not vote for any of the candidates. He justified his decision by saying the situation in the country was like that of a mother whose child spilt his blood in Tahrir Square and she had not yet had justice.
The new President will inherit a struggling economy, deteriorating security and the daunting task of uniting a nation divided after the 18-day uprising that toppled Mubarak last year. The turn out on the first day of voting on Saturday was said to be low.
