Mursi, Shafiq 'set for Egypt run-off'

2012-05-25 09:05

Cairo - A Muslim Brotherhood official said on Friday the group's candidate in the first free presidential election in Egypt would enter a run-off vote next month with the last prime minister to serve Hosni Mubarak before he was ousted in a popular uprising.

The vote marks the final step in a messy and often bloody transition to democracy, overseen by a military council that has pledged to hand over power to a new president by 01 July.

"It is clear that the run-off will be between [the Brotherhood's] Mohamed Mursi and Ahmed Shafiq," the official told Reuters. The group's governing body was meeting to determine campaign strategy for the run-off, scheduled for 16 and 17 June, he said.

Official results are not due to be announced until next week, but representatives of the candidates are allowed to watch the count enabling them to compile their own tally.

The Brotherhood official said that with votes counted from about 12 800 of the roughly 13 100 polling stations, Mursi had 25%, Shafiq 23%, a rival Islamist Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh 20% and leftist Hamdeen Sabahy 19%.

- Reuters