This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/5283

Egyptian Presidential Vote - Nile Delta May Hold Key

June 18, 2012

19:17 PDT - June 17, 2012 - San Francisco, CA - PipeLineNews.org - The votes continue to be counted in Egypt's historic and hotly contested weekend election for president. As of this writing it is nearly three o'clock AM in Cairo and indications are that the heavily populated Nile Delta, home to over 20M might hold the key to the contest's outcome.

According to the Al-Masry Al-Youm [Egyptian Independent:] newspaper, "Shafiq is leading in the Delta, which has nearly 20 million voters, or 40 percent of the electorate. In Monufiya, the former prime minister has 215,829 votes, more than double Morsy's 85,204. Shafiq is leading also in Gharbiya and Sharqiya. Both governorates are still in the very beginning of the counting process. Shafiq got 32,283 and 26,385 in Sharqiya and Gharbiya respectively, while Morsy got 22,507 and 15,142..." [source, http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/live-updates-cairo-vote-trickles-scales-could-tip-tight-race]

In a related, but so far incomplete story, Egypt's real power, the military council issued a sweeping declaration on Sunday, placing itself even further in control of the country, granting the council the authority to draft the new constitution among other powers. This is being seen as a hedge against the possibility that the Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi, will defeat the establishment candidate Ahmed Shafiq.

As the Voice of America notes, "State media reported that Egypt's ruling military council has issued a constitutional declaration, believed to grant them control of legislation, the budget and the panel that will draft the new constitution. More details were expected Monday." [source, http://www.voanews.com/content/egypt-polls-close-military-asserts-power/1212217.html]

If Team Obama remains constant to its extant policy of winking kindly at Egypt's Islamists, we can expect Hillary's State Dept. to issue some sort of condemnation on Monday, mouthing absurd platitudes regarding the "democratic," process in a land where the Western model of liberal, democratic government has very little support at any level of society, except possibly among the shrinking number Egypt's persecuted religious minority, the Coptic Christians.

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This item is available on the Militant Islam Monitor website, at http://www.militantislammonitor.org/article/id/5283