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Egypt election: early results - live updates via the Guardian The continuing count of Egypt’s presidential election show a tight race for a place on the runoff ballot between the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate Mohammed Morsi (left), the leftist candidate Hamdeen Sabahy, (centre) and Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister Ahmed Shafiq (right). [Photograph: EPA Photograph: EPA/AP via Guardian] Latest tally includes counts from 18 of the 27 governorates. Sabahy was in second after counts from 15 governorates. Morsi 3,451,433 (25.59%) Shafiq 3,378,998 (25.05%) Sabbahi 2,862,143 (21.22%) Abul Fotouh 2,362,956 (17.52%) Moussa 1,431,239 (10.61%)

The continuing count of Egypt’s presidential election show a tight race for a place on the runoff ballot between the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate Mohammed Morsi (left), the leftist candidate Hamdeen Sabahy, (centre) and Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister Ahmed Shafiq (right). [Photograph: EPA Photograph: EPA/AP via Guardian]
Latest tally includes counts from 18 of the 27 governorates. Sabahy was in second after counts from 15 governorates.
  1. Morsi 3,451,433 (25.59%)
  2. Shafiq 3,378,998 (25.05%)
  3. Sabbahi 2,862,143 (21.22%)
  4. Abul Fotouh 2,362,956 (17.52%)
  5. Moussa 1,431,239 (10.61%)

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Cairo’s Tahrir Square taken over in protests against Mubarak old guard Thousands of Egyptians protested in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Friday against a run for the presidency by former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, making an Islamist show of strength against a symbol of Hosni Mubarak’s old guard. The Muslim Brotherhood - the biggest group in parliament - called the protest after Suleiman announced his candidacy last week. His presidential bid has alarmed reformists, who regard him as a threat to their hopes for democratic change. “Suleiman, do you think this is the old days?” chanted the protesters gathered in the square, the cradle of the uprising where Egyptians last year united to sweep Mubarak from power but which on Friday was mostly filled by Islamists alone. Others boycotted, reflecting deep divisions in the reform movement.

Cairo’s Tahrir Square taken over in protests against Mubarak old guard

Thousands of Egyptians protested in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Friday against a run for the presidency by former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, making an Islamist show of strength against a symbol of Hosni Mubarak’s old guard.

The Muslim Brotherhood - the biggest group in parliament - called the protest after Suleiman announced his candidacy last week. His presidential bid has alarmed reformists, who regard him as a threat to their hopes for democratic change.

“Suleiman, do you think this is the old days?” chanted the protesters gathered in the square, the cradle of the uprising where Egyptians last year united to sweep Mubarak from power but which on Friday was mostly filled by Islamists alone. Others boycotted, reflecting deep divisions in the reform movement.

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Street battle rages near Egypt’s Interior Ministry

Protesters laid siege to Egypt’s Interior Ministry on Friday, pushing their protest against the military-led government into a second day in a show of anger triggered by the deaths of 74 people in the country’s worst soccer disaster.
One person died in Cairo from a shotgun pellet wound and two were killed in the city of Suez as police used live rounds to hold back crowds trying to break into a police station, witnesses and the ambulance authority said.
The demonstrations erupted following the deaths at a soccer stadium in Port Said. Most of those killed were crushed to death in a stampede but protesters hold the military-led authorities responsible. (more)

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At least 73’ killed in Egypt football violence At least 70 people have been killed in clashes after a football game in the Egyptian city of Port Said. Scores of others were injured in Wednesday’s violence, including security personnel. At least two players suffered light injuries. Fans of the winning al-Masry team flooded the field seconds after the match with al-Ahly, Egypt’s top team, was over. A security official said the fans chased the players and cornered their supporters on the field and around the stadium, throwing stones and bottles at them. Most of the victims reportedly died from suffocation or head injuries. Al-Ahly football players were trapped in the changing room along with supporters. Riot police were sent in to drive the rival crowds of fans back. Thousands of supporters covered the field, as seen in video posted online. Al-Ahly’s supporter club, Ultras, said on their website that they were heading to Port Said later in the evening. Al-Masry team won a rare 3-1 against Al-Ahly. The two teams have a long history of bad blood, and clashes have erupted in recent years between their fans. Al Jazeera’s Rawya Rageh, reporting from Cairo, said several football games after the revolution have witnessed violence due to the absence of police forces. “In the security vacuum that has lasted since the revolution, the police force has basically disappeared from the street after their notorious performance during the revolution.” A match in Cairo on Wednesday evening was interrupted following the news of the deaths in Port Said. Television  footage showed a big fire behind the supporter stand at the Cairo stadium. The Premier League which the games were part of was suspended indefinitely. (Al Jazeera)

At least 73’ killed in Egypt football violence

At least 70 people have been killed in clashes after a football game in the Egyptian city of Port Said.

Scores of others were injured in Wednesday’s violence, including security personnel. At least two players suffered light injuries.

Fans of the winning al-Masry team flooded the field seconds after the match with al-Ahly, Egypt’s top team, was over.

A security official said the fans chased the players and cornered their supporters on the field and around the stadium,

throwing stones and bottles at them.

Most of the victims reportedly died from suffocation or head injuries.

Al-Ahly football players were trapped in the changing room along with supporters. Riot police were sent in to drive the rival crowds of fans back.

Thousands of supporters covered the field, as seen in video posted online.

Al-Ahly’s supporter club, Ultras, said on their website that they were heading to Port Said later in the evening.

Al-Masry team won a rare 3-1 against Al-Ahly.

The two teams have a long history of bad blood, and clashes have erupted in recent years between their fans.

Al Jazeera’s Rawya Rageh, reporting from Cairo, said several football games after the revolution have witnessed violence due to the absence of police forces.

“In the security vacuum that has lasted since the revolution, the police force has basically disappeared from the street after their notorious performance during the revolution.”

A match in Cairo on Wednesday evening was interrupted following the news of the deaths in Port Said. Television  footage showed a big fire behind the supporter stand at the Cairo stadium.

The Premier League which the games were part of was suspended indefinitely. (Al Jazeera)

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Egyptians mark ‘Friday of rage’ in Tahrir Square

Large marches of protesters chanting anti-military slogans streamed from mosques around Cairo to join tens of thousands massed in central Tahrir Square in a new uprising anniversary rally Friday, with many demanding an early transfer of power by the ruling military and the trial of generals for the killing of protesters.

Tensions erupted when one march of hundreds of protesters headed toward the Defense Ministry building and was met by dozens of supporters of the military who chanted “the army and people are one hand.” The pro-military group formed a human chain across an intersection, but the protesters pushed through them, shouting “down with military rule.”

The protests, which included mass rallies in other Egyptian cities, commemorated the first anniversary of the “Friday of Rage,” one of the bloodiest days of the 18-day wave of protests a year ago that ousted President Hosni Mubarak.

(Pic1: An Egyptian man reacts in Tahrir Square during Friday prayers. Pic2: Demonstrators pray in Tahrir square in Cairo during a protest demanding that the army hand over power to the civilians)

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thepoliticalnotebook:

Remembering #Jan25: Days of Rage and Dignity.  The Egyptian revolution really isn’t over, but the eighteen days of rallying and demonstrating across Egypt starting on 25 January 2011 that ultimately ousted longtime dictator Mubarak deserve an incredible amount of celebration.

Here is a photographic retrospective of those eighteen days, shot by some of the best. I will never fail to be blown away by the images of the demonstrations in Tahrir.

  • Yannis Behrakis/Reuters. 1/30/2011.
  • Nasser Nasser/AP. 1/25/2011.
  • Peter Macdiarmid/Getty. 2/1/2011. 
  • Lefteris Pitarakis/AP. 2/1/2011.
  • Ed Ou/NYT. 2/1/2011.
  • Hannibal Hanschke/EPA. 2/2/2011.
  • Moises Saman/NYT. 2/11/2011.
  • Felipe Trueba/EPA. 2/11/2011.

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Historic: Egypt’s first democratically elected representatives for 60 years have gathered for the first session of the new parliament. The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice party captured almost half the seats in recent elections. Outside the parliament building there were protests over the military’s continuing grip on power. Here is an interactive graphic which gives you a visual representation of Egypt’s new People’s Assembly, the lower house of parliament. (Pic)

Historic: Egypt’s first democratically elected representatives for 60 years have gathered for the first session of the new parliament. The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice party captured almost half the seats in recent elections. Outside the parliament building there were protests over the military’s continuing grip on power. Here is an interactive graphic which gives you a visual representation of Egypt’s new People’s Assembly, the lower house of parliament. (Pic)

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Muslim Brotherhood sweeps Egypt polls

The Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), which represents Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, has won 47 per cent of all seats in the country’s election for the lower house of parliament, the election commission has said.

The FJP won 235 seats in the new People’s Assembly, Abdel Moez Ibrahim, the head of the country’s election commission, announced on Saturday.

it also secured 127 seats on party lists, while its candidates won another 108 in first-past-the-post constituency votes, where votes were cast for individual candidates.

The hardline Islamist Salafi al-Nour party has won 24 per cent of all seats on offer.

The liberal al-Wafd party has won about seven per cent of the seats, according to the latest results. The remaining 22 per cent of seats were split amongst smaller political parties.

The election commission says that voter turnout was 54 per cent in the polls.

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“My conscience does not permit me to run for the presidency or any other official position unless it is within a democratic framework.”

Mohamed ElBaradei, former head of the UN nuclear watchdog IAEA and Egyptian presidential candidate, has withdrawn his bid for the position, citing an anti-democratic atmosphere still effectively in the hands of the old regime and its ways. (via thepoliticalnotebook)

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“We will not recognize Israel under any circumstances; we are talking about an occupation entity and a criminal enemy.”

Dr. Rashad Bayoumi, the deputy head of the Brotherhood, the overwhelming victor in the first round of elections for the Egyptian Parliament, has announced it will not recognize Israel and intends to bring the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty to a referendum. He added;

“This is an agreement that was formulated and signed far from the eyes of the people and the Parliament, so we must return this agreement to the people and let them have their say about whether this agreement hurts Egyptian interests and sovereignty.” (source)

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