The Freedom and Justice Party in Egypt, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, whose candidate Mohamed Mursi claims to have won last Sunday's presidential election, told Ahram Online Friday that "Rumors of an Ahmed Shafiq victory in Egypt's presidential election are being circulated to pressure" the party "into accepting last weekend's army-issued constitutional amendment," which "curtails the future president's powers."[1] -- But a senior member of the party "did not say whether Mursi would agree to participate with SCAF on the basis of the constitutional amendment," Dina Ezzat said. -- "Sources in the Brotherhood told Ahram Online that Egypt's veteran Islamist opposition has not ruled out reaching an understanding with SCAF, but nor is it ready to blindly obey the military's political rules." -- The rumors in question were reported by the same reporter on the same day by the same reporter thus: "Egypt's electoral body is set to announce Ahmed Shafiq as the country's new president on Sunday evening, several government sources claimed. Western diplomats in Cairo also said they have heard similar predictions from Cabinet members over the last three days. -- A source in the current government said that Shafiq will be declared victor with 50.7 per cent of the vote."[2] -- Also on Friday, Dina Ezzat reported that sources both in the military and the Muslim Brotherhood said that "high-level negotiations" between them were underway, and "If a deal is reached, Brotherhood sources say, then Mohamed Mursi would be 'legitimately announced' as the elected president 'tomorrow, or after tomorrow.' 'But if no deal is reached, and if the SCAF insists on taking everything and giving nothing, then we would not be surprised if they announce Shafiq as president,' said a leading Brotherhood figure."[3] -- On Saturday, "Secretary-General of the Presidential Electoral Commission Hatem Bagato said the commission will announce the results of Egypt's presidential runoff elections at 3:00 p.m. (1:00 p.m. GMT) [4:00 a.m. PDT] Sunday, according to Egyptian state TV," Ahram Online reported Saturday.[4] ...
1.
CLAIMS OF SHAFIQ VICTORY ARE POLITICAL PLOY: FJP SOURCES
By Dina Ezzat
Ahram Online
June 22, 2012
Rumors of an Ahmed Shafiq victory in Egypt's presidential election are being circulated to pressure the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) into accepting last weekend's army-issued constitutional amendment, the Islamist party said on Friday
The constitutional amendment, released by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) as vote-counting began on Sunday, curtails the future president's executive powers.
Speaking to Ahram Online, FJP sources said that SCAF "knows" the real winner of the presidential runoff, held between 16 and 17 June, is its candidate, Mohamed Mursi, not Shafiq.
Claims that Shafiq will be announced president on Sunday, they added, are a tactic to persuade them to accept the declaration and the now-reduced role of Egypt's head of state.
"Accounts and figures which prove Mursi's victory are not the ones being provided by the FJP, but also by many judges who have the same voting figure," said Hamdi Hassan, an Alexandria-based senior member of the FJP, the Muslim Brotherhood's political wing.
Hassan did not say whether Mursi would agree to participate with SCAF on the basis of the constitutional amendment -- a document that was issued to a chorus of dissapproval from the Muslim Brotherhood and other political players.
Such a decision is not up of the FJP at the moment "given the wider national coalition that the FJP is trying to build," Hassan said.
In a Cairo press conference held on Friday afternoon, Mursi spoke of the Brotherhood's wish to build a wide-ranging national coalition representing the country's revolutionary forces.
Also in attendance was Hamdi Kandil, a prominent opponent of ex-president Hosni Mubarak and supporter of Nasserist contender Hamdi Kandil in late-May's first round of presidential elections. He was accompanied by Wael Ghoneim, a leading activist who previously backed Islamist independent, Abdel-Moneim Aboul-Fottouh.
"It is up to all the political forces to decide on the next move. This is a moment where we see the political forces of the revolution coming together again," Hassan said.
Sources in the Brotherhood told Ahram Online that Egypt's veteran Islamist opposition has not ruled out reaching an understanding with SCAF, but nor is it ready to blindly obey the military's political rules.
Top-level talks between the Brotherhood and SCAF are underway to spare the country from a showdown, these sources said.
But they added that the discussions do not amount to a negotiation over power-sharing, as the FJP has abundant evidence to support its claim of Mursi's presidential victory.
2.
SHAFIQ TO BE NAMED PRESIDENT ON SUNDAY, CLAIM GOVT SOURCES
By Dina Ezzat
** Egypt electoral body is set to announce victory for Brotherhood's opponent, according to several government figures and diplomats **
Ahram Online
June 22, 2012
Egypt's electoral body is set to announce Ahmed Shafiq as the country's new president on Sunday evening, several government sources claimed.
Western diplomats in Cairo also said they have heard similar predictions from Cabinet members over the last three days.
A source in the current government said that Shafiq will be declared victor with 50.7 per cent of the vote, in an outcome that is likely to be strongly disputed by the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate, Mohamed Mursi.
Mursi's campaign has previously shrugged off Shafiq's claims of a victory, insisting they have compiled strong evidence to the contrary.
Sources at the Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission (SPEC) would not confirm to Ahram Online the claims of a Shafiq win.
It is unclear if it is simply another salvo in the ongoing campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood.
3.
A DEAL COULD BE REACHED TO END CURRENT CONFRONTATION: SCAF, BROTHERHOOD SOURCES
By Dina Ezzat
** Sources close to the ruling military council and the Brotherhood confirmed to Ahram Online that both sides are intensely negotiating a compromise agreement to end the standoff **
Ahram Online
June 22, 2012
Sources close to both the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and the Muslim Brotherhood confirmed the two sides were heavily engaged in high-level talks that could produce "a political deal," which is likely to include announcing the Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi Egypt's president elect.
According to a source close to the negotiations, the SCAF wants Mursi to desist from proclaiming himself president-elect, which he came close to doing at a press conference earlier on Friday. They also want him to pull the bulk of his supporters out of Tahrir and to agree to work within the parameters set out by SCAF in its annex constitutional declaration. The annex, enacted by the SCAF earlier in the week, gives the military a share in the prerogatives of the Egyptian president, as well as the legislative powers of the dissolved parliament.
For their part, Mursi and the Brotherhood insist that parliament not be dissolved, and that reelections would be held only for the one third of seats elected in accordance with the individual candidacy system. MPs elected in accordance with the party list proportional representation system, who account for the remaining two thirds of the assembly, would retain in their seats.
The Muslim Brotherhood would also like SCAF to delete from the constitutional annex such language as seems to directly undermine the powers of the president, including his right to appoint the minister of defence.
"A deal is possible; SCAF could settle to limit parliamentary re-elections of the one third of the seats elected in accordance with the individual candidacy system, in return for Mursi and the Brotherhood agreeing that the annex constitutional declaration be kept intact -- at least for the moment," said a source who spoke to both sides to the ongoing negotiations.
This and other sources following the SCAF-Brotherhood talks agree that nothing is done until it is done, and admit that there is not a done deal as yet.
If a deal is reached, Brotherhood sources say, then Mohamed Mursi would be "legitimately announced as the elected president "tomorrow, or after tomorrow."
"But if no deal is reached, and if the SCAF insists on taking everything and giving nothing, then we would not be surprised if they announce Shafiq as president," said a leading Brotherhood figure.
Earlier in the day, government sources had told Ahram Online that Ahmed Shafiq, the last prime minister of ousted president Hosni Mubarak, is coming ahead of Mursi with close to one per cent 50.7 per cent of the vote. For its part, Ahram Online was careful to note that it could not ascertain whether this information expressed true intent, or was yet another salvo in the ongoing arm-twisting campaign against the Brotherhood.
Ahram Online's own informal count of the vote, based on the minutes of the general counting committees and the pronouncements of their presiding judges, had shown the Brotherhood's Mursi as a clear winner, ahead of military candidate Ahmed Shafiq by close to a million votes.
4.
Breaking
EGYPT'S ELECTORAL COMMISSION TO UNVEIL PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION RESULTS SUNDAY 3PM
Ahram Online
June 23, 2012
Secretary-General of the Presidential Electoral Commission Hatem Bagato said the commission will announce the results of Egypt's presidential runoff elections at 3:00 p.m. (1:00 p.m. GMT) Sunday, according to Egyptian state TV.
Both Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Mursi and Mubarak's last premier Ahmed Shafiq have claimed victory, citing their unofficial counts.
The electoral commission was supposed to announce the results on Thursday but decided to delay the announcement in order to examine appeals presented by both candidates.
Earlier reports claimed that the commission would announce the results of the second round run-off Saturday evening, but the Presidential Commission denied the reports.
Sultan said the commission is still in the process of assessing complaints filed against the results in certain polling stations. He added that the date of announcing the results will only be specified when the commission has obtained the final results having examined all the complaints.
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