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Fact Sheet:
Egyptian Presidential Elections
On May 23 and 24, Egypt
held its first presidential elections since the January
2011 revolution swept through the country and ousted long-time President
Hosni Mubarak.
Out of the 13 candidates (another 10 possible candidates were disqualified before the election), none received more
than 50% of the total vote which would have secured a victory. To decide a President, a run-off election was scheduled between the top two vote getters - the Muslim
Brotherhood's "Freedom & Justice Party" candidate Mohamed
Morsi (24.8%) and former Prime Minister Ahmed
Shafiq (23.7%).
This run-off election took place in late June and about one week later, on June 24, Egypt's
military rulers announced Mohamed
Morsi as the official winner and new Egyptian President. Morsi
won 51.7% of the votes and his ascension to the position
marks the first time in Egyptian history that the president comes from outside the military. His election also marks the first time in history than an Islamist candidate will become the head-of-state for an Arab country.
Though it remains unclear how much de facto power Morsi
will hold after the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and the Parliament
has yet to draft a new constitution, the fact that the Egyptian
public turned out in force to vote is a promising sign for a democratic future.
| New Egyptian President |
Runner Up |
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Elected as chairman of the
Muslim Brotherhood's
"Freedom and Justice" Party in April 2011, Morsi emerged
as the Brotherhood's back-up candidate for the elections after their first choice,
Khairat El-Shater, was disqualified because of a prior criminal conviction.
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Former fighter pilot in the Egyptian Air Force, Shafik was appointed by Mubarak as prime minister during the Revolution, though he only remained in post
from January to March 2011. Initially disqualified from election, he appealed
the ruling and was reinstated. |
DISQUALIFIED & LOSING CANDIDATES
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