Egypt's Future Highly Uncertain

A week filled with dramatic and surprising news left Egypt’s future highly uncertain.

This uncertainty began on 14 June when the Supreme Court, a Mubarak era panel of judges, ruled that the 508 member People’s Assembly (Parliament) was invalid because some provisions of the electoral law violated the constitution. The court also voided the Constitutional Assembly, appointed by Parliament on 12 June. Finally, the court ruled that Ahmed Shafiq (Mubarak’s former Prime Minister) was eligible to run for president because the law, passed earlier this year, which barred ex-regime officials from running for public office, was unconstitutional..

The SCAF (military rulers) subsequently dissolved the People’s Assembly and the Constitutional Assembly, reinstated the hated Emergency Law, and assumed legislative as well as budgetary responsibilities. To clarify the situation, the SCAF issued an addendum to the constitutional declaration. Many have interpreted this addendum as an attempt to significantly undermine the powers of the President as well.

So, on 16 and 17 June, voters, many dispirited and angry, lined up at polling places throughout the country. Many others just stayed home, not caring to support either candidate. Meanwhile, protesters gathered in Tahrir Square to vent their anger about this turn of events.

By Monday, it was apparent that the race would be exceedingly close. As the early tallies came in, both candidates were claiming victory. The Bortherhood published results that showed Morsi with 52 percent, while Ahmed Shafiq’s campaign issued statements asserting that he had 51.5% of the vote.

On Wednesday night, thousands of Muslim Brotherhood supporters, along with some secular youth revolutionary groups, camped out in Cairo's Tahrir Square and denounced the power grab by the SCAF.

On Thursday, the Election Commission was to have announced the winner. Instead they announced a postponement of the declaration of the winner until this week end. The commission said the declaration was postponed because a panel of judges must look into about 400 complaints of voting fraud submitted by both campaigns, including lawyers for Shafiq claiming fraud in 14 of Egypt's 27 provinces.

Political tensions are soaring as the country awaits its first new leader in three decades.