Egypt’s Morsi calls for unity, peace
Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammed Morsi officially president-elect; vows to keep international accords
CAIRO — Thousands of Egyptians on Sunday celebrated the presidential victory of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammed Morsi in the place where their democracy began — Tahrir Square.
“This is the beginning of the revolution,” said cable company worker Adel Mokhtar, tears streaming down his face.
The presidential election commission officially announced Sunday that Morsi won the presidency with about 52% of the vote over Ahmed Shafiq, the last prime minister of deposed dictator Hosni Mubarak.
Egyptians poured into a colorful, flag-filled Tahrir Square — the pulsing heart of last year’s 18-day revolt — beeping horns, beating drums and yelling, “God is great!” or in Arabic: “Allahu Akbar!”
“Morsi is the one who will bring our rights back,” said Taher Al-Bahiri, a taxi driver, swerving down uncharacteristically empty roads.
Victory for Morsi comes more than 16 months after Mubarak was ousted from his nearly 30 years in power. Mubarak has since been convicted of a crime related to the deaths of protesters and is being treated in a hospital.
The first demonstrations that led to Mubarak’s ouster were planned by a small group of revolutionary youth, but their leaders have been sidelined in the scramble for power between the Brotherhood, remnants of the old regime and the military.
The Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist movement founded in 1928 and persecuted for decades, has succeeded in every election held since Mubarak left. It seeks a state based on Islamic law but has yet to specify what that entails.
Morsi called for unity and said he carries “a message of peace” to the world in his first televised address Sunday as president-elect. He pledged to preserve Egypt’s international accords, a possible reference to the peace deal with Israel.
President Obama called Morsi to congratulate him and pledged to help support Egypt’s transition to democracy. White House spokesman Jay Carney said the Obama administration hopes Morsi preserves the rights of all Egyptians, including those of religious minorities and women.
Christian groups have expressed concern that the Brotherhood will repress freedom of religion. And some states based on Islamic law, such as Saudi Arabia, forbid women from having the same rights as men.
The Brotherhood’s political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), captured the most seats of any party in parliament earlier this year. The Supreme Court recently dissolved the lower house of parliament, which may mean new elections.
“We have been waiting for this moment for a year and a half,” said former member of parliament Ibrahim Saleem of the FJP.
Some supporters said the Muslim Brotherhood will respect all Egyptians’ rights and is not as hard-line as Egypt’s Salafis, who follow a seventh-century interpretation of Islam.
“(Under Morsi) the country will be tolerant and civil, with an Islamic reference,” said Mustafa Al-Araby, a member of the FJP.
“As for Israel, we will treat them as neighbors,” Saleem said. “We guarantee security for (Israel) and she guarantees security for us.”
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on the border with Israel and Egypt poured into the streets and fired guns in the air in celebration. Israel’s peace agreement with Egypt is a cornerstone of Israeli security and Hamas, which controls Gaza and seeks Israel’s destruction, is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday he respected Egypt’s democratic process.
“Israel expects to continue cooperation with the Egyptian government on the basis of the peace agreement between the two countries, which is of interest to the two peoples,” he said.
Despite the win, Morsi’s powers will be limited.
Egypt’s governing generals, known as the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, issued an addendum to a 2011 constitutional declaration that restricts the president’s powers and puts legislative authority and some control of the constitution in the council’s hands.
“There is going to be a struggle for power, and it’s probably one that is going to last for the foreseeable future,” said Shadi Hamid of the Brookings Institution’s Doha Center.
“(Morsi) won’t have any ability to change Egypt’s foreign policy, at least not in the short term,” Hamid said. “What you will see is more anti-Israel rhetoric, perhaps, (and) a more pro-revolution rhetoric supporting Syrian revolutionaries. ... But on a kind of policy level, it’s difficult to (foresee) any kind of major shifts occurring.”
Morsi’s supporters say they want that changed.
“We’re staying here until the Egyptian dreams are achieved, until the military council cancels the additions to the constitutional declaration,” said Mahmoud Adel Aziz, a construction supervisor standing in Tahrir Square.