Egyptian anti-junta revolutionaries remain in Cairo square

Egyptian revolutionaries have remained in Cairo’s iconic Liberation Square, protesting the delay in announcing the winner of the presidential elections and the risk of a coup by the country’s military rulers.

Thousands of angry Egyptians have camped out in the historic square since Wednesday, calling on the military council to quit power immediately as the electoral authorities delayed the announcement of the final results of the presidential run-off on Thursday as scheduled.

Egypt’s election committee said on Wednesday they want to look into all complaints from the two candidates before making an announcement.

The protesters say the move could be a sign that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) is trying to declare former premier Ahmed Shafiq the winner.

Egyptians cast their ballots in a two-day presidential runoff election on June 16 and 17, which pitted the candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, Mohammed Morsi, against Shafiq.

On June 18, a member of the Egyptian Electoral Committee confirmed that Morsi is in the lead in the country’s run-off presidential election.

Early on the day, the Brotherhood had declared Morsi’s victory over Shafiq in the voting. Officials from the group had said that Morsi has won 52.5 percent of the counted ballots.

Shafiq’s campaign has, however, rejected Muslim Brotherhood’s announcement of victory.

But, people on the streets say if Shafiq wins, it will be a victory through fraud and nothing else.

The ruling junta formally announced the dissolution of the parliament on June 16, following an earlier Supreme Constitutional Court ruling, assuming full legislative powers.

The Brotherhood, Egypt’s largest political party, and the April 6 Youth Movement protested against the move by the military, calling it a constitutional coup against last year’s revolution.

Under a constitutional declaration issued late on Sunday night, the junta also took control of the state budget and gave itself veto power on a new constitution, making the new president almost powerless.

The revolutionaries have vowed to stay in place until the parliament is reinstated.

The situation in the country is quite tense at the moment. There are allegations of a coup swirling around. The April 6 Youth Movement has also warned of a civil war if the ruling generals declare Shafiq the winner.

The measures, taken days before the results of the country’s presidential run-off vote were released, have raised fears that the ruling junta is planning to put its favored candidate, Shafiq, at the helm.