The candidate who is said to have come third – missing out on a run-off – in Egypt’s historic election has demanded a recount, citing many “violations”. Hamdin Sabbahi, from the leftist al-Karamah party, said conscripts had voted illegally. Mr Sabbahi missed out on the second round by 700,000 votes, according to unofficial results from state media. Next month’s run-off will be between candidates from the Muslim Brotherhood and the Mubarak-era regime. The Brotherhood candidate, Mohammed Mursi, has a slight lead on former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, with a reported 25.3% of votes against 24.9%.
Mr Mursi appealed to Egyptians to pursue the goals of last year’s uprising against then-President Hosni Mubarak, saying he was confident the second-round result “will serve the revolution and the interests of the Egyptian people. As a president, I will be the president for all Egyptians. (My relationship) with the Brotherhood will be the same as all Egyptians,” he said.
Mr Shafiq, Mr Mubarak’s last prime minister, pledged there would be “no going back” to pre-revolutionary Egypt. “I pledge now, to all Egyptians, we shall start a new era. There is no going back,” he was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying. “We must accept the results.”
Full Article: BBC News – Egypt election: Hamdin Sabbahi seeks recount.