CAIRO: The car sped past, drums banging and cheers from bystanders chanted “Morsi, Morsi.” Two girls, perched on the edge of the trunk were banging away and creating a joyous atmosphere in downtown Cairo's Tahrir Square on Sunday afternoon. Egyptians in droves came to the iconic square to celebrate the victory of Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi as the country's first freely elected president. Karima Abdel Hafez, a resident of Qasr al-Aini street was one of tens of thousands who went out to celebrate Morsi's win. Still in her work uniform, she was cheering with the crowd right outside the Parliament, only a few meters from Tahrir Square. “Thank God,” she said. “I feel overjoyed and everyone is very happy.” “The country now is safe, at last,” she said when Bikyamasr.com asked her what she wished to tell Morsi. She added in a message to the new president, “take care of us and look after our children, be our man.” It was a joyous affair, with fireworks being fired into the air and Morsi's name ringing out in the square. The atmosphere was a far cry from the fearmongering towards violence the state media and some of the international press had been pushing throughout the day as the election committee's announcement grew closer. And adding to the atmosphere were non-Brotherhood leaders, including the April 6th Youth Movement, who had joined Brotherhood supporters last week in protest mode, calling for the end of the military junta in the country. Ahmed Habashi, the head of the April 6th's coordination committee in downtown Cairo told Bikyamasr.com, “we are here because the Brotherhood is part of the revolution and it is continuing. “We would never support the person who was in charge during the Camel Battle,” alluding to Shafiq's involvement in the massacre that took the lives of at least 26 people on February 2, 2011 during the 18 days that ousted his regime and that of now jailed dictator Hosni Mubarak. Morsi was named the country's new president on Sunday, garnering some 52 percent of the vote in the run-off on June 16 and 17. As for Gamal al-Shazly, an accountant who was injured on January 26, 2011, he said Egypt was saved by Morsi's win. “The country could have gone into civil war and the military would have taken over and turned us into Algeria in the 1990s,” he told Bikyamasr.com. Shazly who co-founded an accounting firm in Cairo, said he and his partners at work were taking shifts to come to Tahrir and demonstrate. “We stopped working and came out here every day the past 16 months,” continued Shazly, voted for Morsi in the first round and made sure his family supported him in the second round. “I wrote my will before coming to Tahrir today, if Shafiq would have won, I would have stayed here and if necessary, gladly presented my life for Egypt,” he added. “Now we are hoping for complete powers to the president.” a young man celebrating with friends in Mohamed Mahmoud street, where many battles with the army and police force took place,” he said. “Today is not a win for political Islam, its a win for democracy.” added Shazly. Mohamed Mahmoud street leading to the iconic square had never seen much joy since the January uprising and it held painful memories for many, with snipers shooting protesters in the eyes during the 18 days and again in November during clashes with the military and police. It was later renamed the “Eyes of the Free” street after tens of people lost partial or full vision. But on Sunday it was a different scene. Here, the street was holding the biggest party Tahrir have seen since the ousting of Mubarak In Febuaray last year. The football fans, or Ultras, formed a huge party circle, singing, dancing and chanting against Shafiq and the military. They shot fireworks and played drums as their chants shook the surrounding buildings. “I have never seen Tahrir so happy since Mubarak's ousting,” said a young girl. Hundreds other chanted “This afternoon, the revolution won.” “I hear a mother of a dead martyr saying Morsi will avenge my sons,” another Egyptian added in celebration. Although there is much work to be done, Egyptians were taking Sunday afternoon and into the evening as an opportunity to come together in celebration. Egypt has a president and his name is Mohamed Morsi. And the fireworks and joy is unlikely to stop anytime soon.
