Although results from Cairo give establishment candidate Shafiq a 58 percent lead in the capital, winning Cairo will not be enough to put Shafiq ahead of Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mursi in 27 governorates.

If these results stand, Mursi will have won Egypt’s first post- uprising elections with 51.89 per cent of the vote, succeeding toppled dictator Hosni Mubarak.

Downtown Cairo is filled with the sounds of horns and chants as Mursi supporters are descending on Tahrir Square.

Official results will be announced by the Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission on Thursday, June 21, and the ruling military council will “hand over power” on 30 June.

As the vote count began on Sunday, a decree from the ruling military council assigned only limited powers to the new head of state, and reclaimed for the military council the legislative rights of the Islamist-led parliament, after the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) dissolved parliament last week.

Both Liberal and Islamist opponents denounced this as a “military coup.”

The Brotherhood’s Mohamed Mursi was in weekend a run-off election against Ahmed Shafik, former prime minister under the deposed and ailing Hosni Mubarak.

“The results posted by the Mursi campaign on their website, which show Mursi in the lead, reflect to a large degree the results tallied by the electoral committee,” the member, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.

Other officials contacted by Reuters refused to comment on the Brotherhood’s claim.

“The election commission has nothing to do with the announced results,” committee member Mohamed Momtaz said, while a second member, Osama Salama said: “We are still conducting the tally process.” (© 2012 JewishPress. 06/18/12)