Egypt Election Results Delayed as Political Tension Rises

Photo Credit: Aljazeera

Egypt’s Presidential Election Commission delayed the announcement of elections results after receiving “a total of 400 electoral violation reports” from the two presidential candidates, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammed Morsi and former Mubarak-era prime minister Ahmed Shafik.  Tens of thousands of protesters have flocked to Tahrir Square since the Army’s declarations last week limiting the President’s power, and the Muslim Brotherhood has called for a massive protest on Friday dubbed, “The Legitimacy’s Return.”

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was critical of the Army’s actions saying, “The military has to assume an appropriate role, which is not to try to interfere with, dominate, or subvert the constitutional authority.” Freedom House’s Charles Dunne writes, ”though unplanned, Mubarak’s downfall presented a golden opportunity for Egypt’s generals to stage a soft military coup” and that it is now the responsibility of the Obama administration to specify “tough and clear conditions” before distributing Egypt’s $1.3 billion of military assistance. Human Rights Watch released a statement claiming that recent events are “creating conditions ripe for further serious human rights violations.”

Sami Khorshid says that when the presidential results are announced, “Egypt’s first popular presidential election will not have been a democratic milestone.”  Finally, Cihan Tugal claims that Egypt’s youth have failed to control the progression of the revolution because of ”their lack of organization, experience, and programmatic vision.”