Brotherhood Candidate Likely to Compete in Egypt Run-Off

Official results in Egypt's first free presidential election aren't expected until Tuesday, but according to unofficial tallies published by the Egyptian news media, with 90% of the vote counted so far, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, Mohammad Morsi, is leading and will compete in a June run-off against either Ahmad Shafiq, currently in second place, or Hamdeen Sabahi.

Egyptians flocked to the polls on the second day of voting Thursday. In one of Cairo’s poorest neighborhoods, voters brazenly declared their support for Sabahi, the Nasserite candidate who has vowed to be the president of Egypt’s poor.

Conversations were shared for all to hear in lines outside polling stations in Imbaba. “Enough with the Islamists, enough with the old regime, down with the military. We need a clean man — Hamdeen is the one,” said a woman dressed in an abbaya, conservative Muslim garb. She went as far as asking fellow voters whom they would cast their ballots for. But it seems none needed her convincing. All said they were rooting for Sabahi, the dark-horse leftist candidate who seems to be garnering more votes than opinion polls had predicted. In fact, many people in Imbaba call him by his first name — a sign of affection, they say.

“I know many young people prefer Khaled Ali but Egypt is not ready for a young president. They need someone with experience,” a young man who took part in the revolution told me. He was referring to the other leftist candidate, a human rights lawyer who is 40 years old and a newcomer in politics. “I’m voting for Hamdeen, too,” he added. Sabahi, a veteran opposition politician and founder of Al-Karama (Dignity) party, is 52.