Egypt's
interim ruling military council pronounced the Muslim
Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi (NYT) the winner of the recent Egyptian
presidential election, making him the first Islamist elected as head of an Arab
state. Morsi's victory over the military's candidate of choice, former air force
general Ahmed Shafiq, comes days after the council dissolved the democratically
elected parliament and consolidated its power over the formation of a new
constitution. In his victory speech, Morsi vowed to be a "president for all
Egyptians."
Analysis
"Indeed,
in a near
perfect resurrection of the old-regime narrative, Egypt's first democratic
presidential race had pitted the military regime in the form of Shafik against
its traditional opposition, the Muslim Brotherhood. And the fact that a civilian
has replaced a military regime as an Arab head of state marks a monumental new
chapter in the ever evolving story of the Arab Spring," writes TIME's
Abigail Hauslohner.
"This
is a historic
moment for Egypt. Another nail has been hammered into the coffin of the old
regime. The reaction of Tahrir Square on Sunday night was every bit as ecstatic
as the toppling of Hosni Mubarak himself. Yet power itself has not changed
hands, and the conflict with an ageing group of generals in the Supreme Council
of the Armed Forces (Scaf) might yet drag on for weeks or months," says this
Guardian editorial.
"After
last night's party, Egyptians wake up Monday to harsh realities. Their economy
is in free fall and the allocation of power is far from settled. Some activists
want to keep the protesters in the streets to force the military to give up
control. Millions more want a return to stability. A new, legitimately elected
president is a good
democratic start, but only that," say this Wall Street Journal
editorial.
