Thousands have packed Cairo’s iconic Tahrir Square to denounce a power grab by the ruling military, as the nation nervously awaited the results of the first post-Mubarak presidential election. Yet Egypt’s ruling military warned it would "deal firmly" with any attempt to harm the public interest, and blamed political divisions on the release of unofficial presidential poll results by candidates.

[Al Jazeera, Al Ahram (Arabic), 6/22/2012] Thousands have packed Cairo’s iconic Tahrir Square to denounce a power grab by the ruling military, as the nation nervously awaited the results of the first post-Mubarak presidential election. Yet Egypt’s ruling military warned it would "deal firmly" with any attempt to harm the public interest, and blamed political divisions on the release of unofficial presidential poll results by candidates. Members and supporters of the powerful Muslim Brotherhood gathered in the square for the protest on Friday, which was to be joined later in the afternoon by several secular movements. Those camping out overnight demanded military rulers reverse new orders that entrench the generals’ power and called on the election commission to declare the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi president.

[Ahram Online, 6/22/2012] Identical government sources said today that the Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission (SPEC) is set to announce Ahmed Shafiq winner on Sunday evening. Western diplomats in Cairo also said they received similar expectation from cabinet members during the last three days. According to a government source, Shafiq’s 50.7 per cent victory announcement will probably be refuted by the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate Mohamed Mursi’s campaign. Mursi’s campaign has shrugged Shafiq’s victory predictions and insisted they have compiled evidence to the contrary. Ahram Online could not confirm from SPEC sources  whether a Shafiq win is in fact  the final result they will announce in the coming days, or  it is nearly another shot in the ongoing campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood.

[Egypt Independent, 6/22/2012] The ruling military council issued a strongly-worded statement on Friday in response to the massive demonstrations that have been staged since the generals issued a supplement to the Constitutional Declaration which limits the power of the newly-elected president and grants the military council wide authority. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces criticized Mohamed Morsy claiming victory in the presidential election before the Presidential Elections Commission (PEC) makes its official announcement. The statement said that announcing the election results early was "unjustified" and was the cause behind the division and confusion that has dominated politics in the country. Although the statement contained indirect criticism of the ongoing protests, it asserted that the SCAF respects the right of peaceful protest. It added that maintaining state institutions is the responsibility of all, and exposing them to any harm threatens Egypt’s security. The SCAF stressed the need to respect judicial verdicts.

[Egypt Independent, 6/22/2012] There is no justification for political forces to object to the supplementary Constitutional Declaration issued by the military council on Sunday, said liberal Democratic Front Party leader Saeed Kamel on Thursday. “Such objection reflects a desire to monopolize politics, marks an uncertain beginning for managing political disagreement and impairs the democratic experiment that has made Egypt a respectable nation,” Kamel said. Kamel said the supplement gives the president the right to appoint and dismiss the prime minister, the ministers, the ambassadors and the governors, and to discuss the state budget with the government and object to any decision. Kamel also criticized the demonstrations in front of Parliament that reject the Supreme Constitutional Court ruling resulting in its dissolution. MP Mohamed Abou Hamed on his Twitter page called on the people to read the supplementary Constitutional Declaration carefully, fearing their revolutionary zeal would serve the interests of the Muslim Brotherhood.

[Ahram Online, 6/22/2012] The Brotherhood presidential candidate, Mohamed Mursi, has met with several of the revolutionary figures and youth, reveals prominent Muslim Brotherhood figure and former MP, Mohamed El-Beltagi on his Facebook page Friday. El-Beltagi states that the Brotherhood also has had various calls with former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and political figure, Mohamed ElBaradei, as well as liberal Islamist and former presidential candidate, Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh to discuss the latest developments. He further confirms that there will be a press conference late on Friday to announce a "national project." The meeting, says El-Beltagi, was attended by Abdel-Gelil Mustafa, Alaa El-Aswany, Ammar Ali Hassan, Hamdy Qandeel, Abdel-Ghafar Shukr, Abdel-Khaleq Farouq, Seif Abdel-Fattah, Heba Raouf, Rabab El-Mahdi, Mohamed El-Saeed Edrees, Saad Aboud, Sakina Fouad, Wael Qandeel and Mohamed Waked amongst prominent revolutionary youth figures.

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