Egypt: Ban looks forward to early handover of authority to civilian government

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has voiced his strong support for Egypt’s transition to fully meet the legitimate expectations of its people and looks forward to the early handover of full authority to a civilian government, a top United Nations official said today.

Last weekend, Egypt held the second round of its presidential election, a key element of the transition to greater democracy that began in January 2011, when a popular uprising overthrew the long-standing regime of Hosni Mubarak.

Egyptian electoral authorities are scheduled to announce the official results of the run-off poll on Thursday. The run-off pitted Mohammed Mursi, representing the Muslim Brotherhood, against ex-prime minister Ahmed Shafiq.

“The Secretary-General continues to follow events in Egypt closely,” the Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Oscar Fernandez-Taranco, told the Security Council, as he briefed the 15-member body on the latest developments in the Middle East. “He looks forward to the early handover of full authority to a civilian government.”

Mr. Ban “underscores his concern that the country’s transition should meet the legitimate aspirations of the Egyptian people and of the international community for the establishment of strong, representative, democratic institutions and for the popular will to be respected – both in the elections and in the drafting of a new Constitution,” Mr. Fernandez-Taranco added.

In addition to Egypt, the popular uprisings that began last year resulted in the toppling of long-standing regimes in Tunisia, Libya and Yemen, and led to the violence and humanitarian suffering that continues in Syria.