Egyptians must wait another day for poll results
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- Category: Asia Election News
- Last Updated: Thursday, 22 January 2015 20:36
Egyptians must wait another day for poll results
Islamists set for majority with Salafi parties; army official paints dire picture of economy; parliament could dilute power of generals.
CAIRO - Egypt's ruling military
painted a dire picture of the economy on Thursday as election officials delayed
releasing results of a landmark parliamentary poll that Islamist parties looked
set to win, saying votes were still being counted.
They said first-round results would be declared on Friday, a day when youthful protesters demanding an immediate end to army rule have called a rally in Cairo's Tahrir Square to remember the 42 people killed in clashes with riot police last month.
Egyptians voting freely for the first time since army officers ousted the king in 1952 seem willing to give Islamists a chance. "We tried everyone, why not try Sharia (Islamic law) once?" asked Ramadan Abdel Fattah, 48, a bearded civil servant.
Islamist success at the polls in Egypt, the most populous Arab nation, would reinforce a trend in North Africa, where moderate Islamists now lead governments in Morocco and post-uprising Tunisia after election wins in the last two months.
Parliament, whose exact makeup will be clear only after Egypt's staggered
voting process ends in January, may challenge the power of the generals who
took over in February after a popular uprising toppled Hosni Mubarak, an ex-air
force chief.
The army council, under growing pressure to make way for civilian rule, has
said it will keep powers to pick or fire a cabinet. But the head of the Muslim
Brotherhood's party said this week the majority in parliament should form a
government.
The poll results had been expected on Thursday, but some constituencies had not
completed their counts.
In an alarming revelation, an army official said foreign reserves would plunge
to $15 billion by the end of January, down from the $22 billion reported by the
central bank in October.
Mahmoud Nasr, financial assistant to army chief Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein
Tantawi, told a news briefing that a widening budget deficit might force a
review of costly subsidies, especially on petrol, to save money.
The economic crunch has forced the Egyptian pound to its lowest level in nearly
seven years after tourism and foreign investment collapsed in the turmoil since
Mubarak's overthrow.
The world is closely watching the election, keen for stability in Egypt, which
has a peace treaty with Israel, owns the Suez Canal linking Europe and Asia,
and which in Mubarak's time was an ally in countering Islamist militants in the
region.
Washington and its European allies have urged the generals to step aside
swiftly and make way for civilian rule.
Source : http://www.jpost.com