CAIRO: Egypt's presidential election frontrunners were vying for deals with rival candidates yesterday in a bid to appease a polarized nation that will choose between an Islamist and a Mubarak-era minister in a June runoff.
Final votes were still being counted, but unofficial results suggested that the top two candidates were the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Mursi and Ahmed Shafiq, a former premier under ousted president Hosni Mubarak.
Middle ground votes were up for grabs, with both candidates since Saturday shuttling between meetings with different political forces, as they compete for the mantle of the revolution that ousted longtime president Hosni Mubarak in 2011.
"The race for the coalitions has begun," read the headline of the state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper.
According to a tally by the Islamist group, Mursi had won 25.3 percent of the vote and Shafiq 24 percent, with Sabbahi at 22 percent.
Sabbahi said he would refuse any offer to become vice president, and told AFP he would file a complaint over electoral irregularities that may affect the result of the first round.
On Saturday, Mursi appealed to Egyptians to pursue the goals of the revolution, a day after his movement said the nation was "in danger."
He said he was confident the results of the June 16-17 runoff "will serve the revolution and the interests of the Egyptian people."
He also sought to reassure secularists and the country's Coptic Christian community which makes up around 10 percent of the 82 million population.
"As president, I will be the president for all Egyptians. (My relationship) with the Brotherhood will be the same as all Egyptians," he said.
FROM: Agence France Presse
Egypt candidates court undecided voters
