Tensions escalate as Egypt expects presidential race results

PanARMENIAN.Net - Tensions soared in Egypt on Saturday, June 23, as the nation awaited the results of a divisive presidential election and the Muslim Brotherhood sparred with the ruling military over what it sees as a power grab, AFP reports.

Hundreds of Brotherhood supporters spent the night in Tahrir Square, having vowed to stay until the results of the election - which pits their candidate Mohamed Morsi against ousted president Hosni Mubarak's last Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq - are published.

Both Morsi and Shafiq have claimed victory in the election for a successor to Mubarak, sparking tensions between the rival camps that have deepened after the electoral commission delayed its announcement of the official outcome.

The delay in the announcement of the June 16-17 run-off, initially scheduled for Thursday, has raised suspicions that the outcome of the election is being negotiated not counted.

As the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and the Brotherhood clashed publicly over recent measures that consolidated the army's power, privately they have been engaged in talks, sources told AFP.

On Friday, the SCAF warned it would deal "with utmost firmness and strength" with any attempts to harm public interests, while the Brotherhood warned against tampering with the election results but said it had no intention of instigating violence.

The Brotherhood rejects a constitutional declaration by the military which strips away any gains made by the Islamist group since the uprising which overthrew Mubarak in February last year.

The document dissolves the Islamist-led parliament and gives the army a broad say in government policy and control over the new constitution. It was adopted just days after a justice ministry decree granted the army powers of arrest.

Even if Mursi wins, the changes leave the Brotherhood with no parliament, no say in the constitution and a powerless president.

"It's a problem which we are trying to resolve," one Brotherhood official said.