CAIRO (AP) — In the sweltering heat Sunday, tens of thousands of Muslim Brotherhood supporters had jammed into Tahrir Square – the birthplace of Egypt’s revolution – to learn who won its first free presidential election.
They were not disappointed.
When they heard the head of the election commission declare on live TV that their candidate, Mohammed Morsi, had won with 51.58 percent of the vote, a deafening roar arose from the iconic square in central Cairo.
advertisement
His supporters danced in a joyous celebration not seen in the square since Hosni Mubarak was forced out on Feb. 11, 2011.
They knelt on the ground in prayer. They waved flags. They set off firecrackers. Some released doves carrying a photo of Morsi, who defeated Mubarak’s former prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq, in a runoff election.
© 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
