Egypt presidential poll results postponed till next week

The political scene in Egypt continues to bubble as the announcement of the results of the presidential elections were postponed till early next week, with the authorities saying it needed more time to examine the complaints after both candidates declared victory.

The Supreme Presidential Elections Commission (SPEC) said it needs “more time” to examine appeals filed by presidential contenders — Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsy and former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq.

“Egypt’s presidential election commission, headed by Judge Farouq Sultan... has decided to delay the announcement of the presidential election runoff,” the official MENA news agency said.

The result was originally scheduled to be announced on Friday, but will now be deferred with the election commission saying it had roughly 400 appeals filed by both presidential campaigns before it.

The election commission said it had also heard the lawyers of both the candidates.

The delay adds to the already prevailing confusion and political uncertainty in the country, with growing apprehensions about the military’s expanding role and control over governance.