Egyptian Presidential 2nd Round: The Worst Possible Scenario

A briefing by the Institute for Security Studies detailing the political instability in Egypt surrounding the second round of presidential elections between Mohammed Moursi and Ahmed Shafiq, following a Constitutional Court ruling that allowed Shafiq to participate.

• The Egyptian Constitutional Court's decision to allow former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq to participate in the second round of presidential elections, alongside Mohammed Moursi, is viewed by some as a failure of the revolution. Moursi received 25.3 percent and Shafiq received 24.9 percent of the votes in the first round held on 23 and 24 May.
• The military is described as having controlled Egypt for 60 years and maintaining control over 30% of the economy, suggesting that the removal of Hosni Mubarak was a 'necessary sacrifice' rather than a true relinquishing of power.
• The Supreme Constitutional Court ruled that the Political Isolation Law, intended to block former Mubarak Administration officials like Ahmed Shafiq from running for office, was unconstitutional because it prohibited candidates without finding them guilty of specific involvement.
• Following the court ruling, the Minister of Justice issued a decree extending military power, allowing military police and intelligence to detain protesters based on suspicion, effectively reinstating powers from a State of Emergency Law that had expired two weeks prior.

APA

Institute for Security Studies (n.d.). Egyptian Presidential 2nd Round: The Worst Possible Scenario. https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/egyptian-presidential-2nd-round-the-worst-possible-scenario

Chicago

Institute for Security Studies. Egyptian Presidential 2nd Round: The Worst Possible Scenario. n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/egyptian-presidential-2nd-round-the-worst-possible-scenario.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Institute for Security Studies |title=Egyptian Presidential 2nd Round: The Worst Possible Scenario |url=https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/egyptian-presidential-2nd-round-the-worst-possible-scenario |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{instituteforsecuritystudiesndegyptian, author = {{Institute for Security Studies}}, title = {{Egyptian Presidential 2nd Round: The Worst Possible Scenario}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/publication-archives/cpra-daily-briefing/egyptian-presidential-2nd-round-the-worst-possible-scenario}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }