Mohammed Mursi, leader of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), on 24 June 2012 was declared victorious in Egypt's historical presidential election. Mursi bagged 51.73 per cent of the total 13.23 million votes cast, while his closest rival Ahmed Shafiq, the former Egyptian PM and the independent candidate, polled 48.3 per cent votes. The FJP is an independent political party, which enjoys a strong political support from the Muslim Brotherhood, the largest and best-organized political group in Egypt
The first Presidential election, which was alo the first free elections in the history of the country, was held on 23 and 24 May 2012 followed by the main election, held on 16 and 17 June 2012. The presidential election 2012 was the first presidential election in the country after the 2011 Egyptian revolution during the Arab Spring, which ousted the autocratic president Hosne Mubarak from the office.
Turn of Events
Egypt, which was officially named the Arab Republic of Egypt on 18 June 1953, has remained under constant autocratic rule since 1967 (barring the 18-month break in 1980). Between 1981 and 2011, the country was governed by authoritarian ruler Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, who rose to power following the assassination of President Mohammed Anwar El-Sadat. But the thunderous Arab Uprising in 2011, which led to a wide spread movement for democracy in Egypt and several other Arab states, forced Mubarak to step down after reining in the country for 30 years. Mubarak, who stepped down on 11 February 2011, entrusted the power to the army led by Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi. The 18-day unrest in the country claimed lives of about 850 people. After taking the rein of the country, the Army scrapped the constitution and dissolved parliament. It also promised to reinstate democracy in the country by holding a nationwide Presidential election. But a long delay from the military government’s side in setting up the democratic government, caused thousands of people resume the protest against the government. On 29 June 2011, in a violent protest held at Tehrir Square of Cairo, the place which symbolized the Arab Uprising, more than 1000 people were left wounded and score others left dead.
On 28 and 29 November, Egypt held its first post-uprising parliamentary election, which saw Islamist parties claiming the victory on nearly 75 per cent of seats. On 23 and 24 May 2012 the country held its first its first free presidential election followed by the main election which was held on 16 and 17 June 2012. Putting an end to the 18-month long political turmoil in the country the Muslim Brotherhood affiliated Freedom and Justice Party leader Mohammed Mursi won the election.
Impact of the Mohammad Mursi’s Victory on Global Politics
The victory of Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammad Mursi has virtually delighted the entire Arab world. Being the first Islamic President of the country, Mursi is expected to cooperate in a better manner with other Islamic nations in the region. The victory of Mursi also holds a larger significance in the context of Arab- Israel conflict. The poll verdict, which appeared highly satisfactory for the Palestinians, caused the same amount of anxiety among the Israeli establishment. Islamist leader’s rise to power certainly perturbed the Israel and its allies in the world, which had long been at loggerheads with Arab countries. Given the fact that Palestinian organization Hamas is popularly called the daughter of the Muslim Brotherhood and has always shared a warm tie with the mother organization, the two countries are likely to team up against Isreal on regional issues which will apparently intensify the hatred politics in the middle-east.
