Mohamed Mursi, the Freedom and Justice Party’s candidate in Egypt’s presidential elections, has claimed victory in the polls. According to Mursi, he received 13.24 million votes, or 52 per cent of the vote, in the run-off elections while his competitor, Ahmed Shafiq, secured 12.34 million votes. After his victory speech, Mursi made his way to Tahrir Square in the centre of Cairo.

Shafiq’s campaign team was quick to respond to the announcement. He accused his rival of attempting to “steal” the victory for himself and urged Egyptians to wait for official results. He also highlighted what he considers to be “systematic vote rigging” in the election process. A win for Mursi would “threaten the future of Egypt and stability”, says Shafiq.

Meanwhile, attention has turned to Egypt’s political situation beyond the presidency. Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court declared the results of Egypt’s Parliamentary elections null and void on 14 June. This was followed by a statement by the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (Scaf) on 17 June, in which it seized legislative power for itself and asserted control over the constitution-writing process.