Egypt Anti-Military Protesters Fill Tahrir Square

Tens of thousands of protesters have filled Cairo's Tahrir Square to denounce a move by Egypt's ruling generals to seize sweeping powers.

Last weekend, the military issued decrees dissolving parliament and claiming all legislative power in a move critics said amounted to a coup.

Egyptians are still awaiting the result of last weekend's presidential run-off.

The military says its declaration of new powers was a "must", pledging to deal firmly with threats to stability.

In a TV statement, the Supreme Council for the Armed Forces (Scaf) blamed the country's political "division and confusion" on the early release of unofficial results. It said the premature announcement was "unjustifiable".

It did not name the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), which announced on Tuesday that its candidate, Mohammed Mursi, had won with 51.74% of the vote, citing official figures.
Results delayed

Islamist, secular and youth groups backed a call by the Muslim Brotherhood for protests across Egypt after Friday prayers.
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Interim Constitutional Declaration

    Issued by ruling Supreme Council of Armed Forces (Scaf)
    Amends Constitutional Declaration of March 2011
    Grants Scaf powers to initiate legislation, control budget, appoint panel to draft new constitution
    Postpones new parliamentary elections until new constitution is approved

    Q&A: Egypt's new constitutional declaration

The cleric leading prayers in Tahrir Square said Mohammed Mursi was the clear winner in presidential elections last weekend, the Associated Press reports.

Earlier, Mr Mursi's opponent, former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, said he was confident of victory.

Results from the run-off election were originally due out during the week but have been delayed. In its statement on Friday, the Scaf called on supporters of both candidates to accept the result.

Thousands of people, mostly Islamists, have demonstrated for three consecutive days against the ruling military council's two decrees.

The first decree ordered parliament to be dissolved. It came after a Supreme Constitutional Court ruling that the law on elections to the lower house was invalid because party members had been allowed to contest seats reserved for independents.

The second decree gave the generals complete control over legislation and military affairs until fresh parliamentary elections are held.

The justice ministry has also granted soldiers the right to arrest civilians for trial in military courts until the ratification of a new constitution.

Human Rights Watch has said the moves suggest there will not be a "meaningful" handover of power to a civilian administration by 30 June and conditions "ripe" for further human rights abuses have been created.
'Media manipulation'

On Thursday evening, Mr Shafiq - a former air force commander who served briefly as former President Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister - made his first public appearance since the election to claim victory for himself.

"I am fully confident that I will be the legitimate winner," he told supporters at a Cairo hotel.

Media sympathetic to Mr Shafiq and the Scaf have begun to demonise the Brotherhood, our correspondent says.

One journalist, Gamal el-Ghetani, said the attempt by the Brotherhood to gain power was like the rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany in the 1930s. The newspaper al-Dustour said the Brotherhood planned a bloodbath if Mr Mursi was not declared the winner.

Members of the HPEC have now suggested a result may now be declared on Sunday. An announcement had been expected on Thursday, but officials said hundreds of complaints had been received from the two candidates.

"I have faith in the judges of Egypt, but too much delay will raise question marks," Saad al-Katatni, a Brotherhood leader and speaker of the dissolved lower house of parliament told al-Jazeera. "The result is already known and it is Mohammed Mursi."

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