CAIRO: For the fourth consecutive day, Egyptians have poured in Cairo's Tahrir Square by the thousands. In the late morning hours on Friday, at least 25,000 people had gathered in the square, showing their support for Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate Mohamed Morsi and voicing their anger at the ruling military junta. “We are hear to end the military rule over the country and make sure Morsi is elected as the next president,” said Brotherhood supporter and youth activist Hossam Marwan, who added to Bikyamasr.com that he believes Friday will be the “most important day for the revolution.” It comes after the election committee overseeing the voting process and counting the ballots postponed announcing the results on Wednesday evening, arguing they had to investigate voter fraud claims. Morsi supporters are worried that the delay could mean the committee and the military are looking for ways of enabling former Hosni Mubarak Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, Morsi's opponent in last weekend's run-off, to win the election. If Shafiq is named winner in the presidential race, it could set in motion a chain reaction that would see the country return to an even more tumultuous situation that pits the Brotherhood – the country's most organized and popular political group – against the military junta. “I definitely feel the situation could really change in a moment if something bad happens, like Shafiq is named winner,” added Marwan. The Brotherhood, for its part, has repeatedly reassured the public that the demonstrations in Tahrir are to remain peaceful and that they do not want to see violence erupt. A Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) official – the Brotherhood's political party – told Bikyamasr.com on Friday morning that “this is a show of strength and the numbers that we can deliver to the square. Our goal is to create a unified front against the military's takeover of power in Egypt.” He was referring to last week's constitutional declaration made by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), which ostensibly gave it complete power over the country. The declaration allows the military all legislative power – after the parliament was dissolved by a court ruling the Thursday before – and gives them the ability to name the members of a new panel to draft a constitution. On top of that, the military can also amend the draft of the constitution as they see fit, which has angered activists and politicians, who argue it is tantamount to a military coup. Other revolutionary youth groups joined the protests, which also spread to in front of the country's parliament, recently dissolved, or believed to be, by a high court ruling last week, to condemn the military and call for its removal. Also on tap were anti-Ahmed Shafiq, Morsi's opponent in the run-off and former dictator Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister during the 18 days of protests that ousted his regime. The activists in the square referred to him as a “shoe," an insult in the Arab world, much to the laughter and cheers of fellow demonstrators in the square. In many ways, the demonstrations are a return to the ways of protests that ousted the former regime, although this time directed at the military. There were more smiles on the faces of people in the square, for although military control of the country seems to be increasing, for the first time in nearly 17 months, Egyptians seem to have found a leader in Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's next president.
