Here's a summary of the main events:
Egypt
• The Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi has become Egypt's first freely elected president after a delayed announcement of the results of last weekend's runoff. He beat former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq by more than almost 900,000 votes. Morsi secured 51.7% of the vote, compared to 48% for Shafiq.
• Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the head of the military council which still holds all the levers of power in Egypt, congratulated Morsi on the victory. Morsi's win came after reports and speculation about a possible deal between the Brotherhood and the military council.
• Morsi's victory was greeted with scenes of wild celebrations by tens of thousands of his supporters in Tahrir Square. The Muslim Brotherhood has vowed to stay in the square to protest at the military council's power grab. Under constitutional amendments announced while votes were being counted last week, the presidency holds very little power compared to the military. The military has also dissolved parliament and holds the final say on the drafting of a new constitution.
• The Brotherhood hailed the victory as the start of new era for Egypt. It promised to appoint a cabinet that will "truly represent Egypt after revolution".
Syria
• Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the plane that was downed by Syrian was not spying against Syria and was over international waters when it was hit. He said the plane had no "covert mission related to Syria," and it was purely on a training flight to test Turkey's radar capabilities, according to the Turkish daily Hurriyet. But the wreckage of the plane was reported to have been found in Syrian waters.
• A ship carrying Russian helicopters to Syria, which turned back after its insurance was cut, is expected to resume its journey accompanied by at least one other vessel, according to the Russian Interfax news agency. The report is likely to reignite international criticism of Russia's arms deliveries to Syria.
• The International Committee of the Red Cross has condemned the killing of of a Red Crescent volunteer in the eastern city of Deir Ezzor. Bashar al-Youssef, who was shot in his Red Crescent uniform, became the fourth ICRC/Red Crescent volunteer to die since the crisis began. Dr Abdul Rahman al-Attar, the president of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, said: "We are shocked by Bashar's death. It is completely unacceptable." It is unclear which side was responsible.
Egypt: William Hague sends his congratulations and expresses hope for democratic reform.
The people of #Egypt have elected a new President. I congratulate him and them on the result, and the peaceful process
— William Hague (@WilliamJHague) June 24, 2012
I hope #Egypt's new President will show early leadership on democratic and economic reforms, & rights of all Egyptian men and women
— William Hague (@WilliamJHague) June 24, 2012
moment Muslim Brotherhood supporters celebrated the result.
Egypt: Here's theScroll forward to around 1 minute 35 minutes for football style jubilation.
will continue to demonstrate against the military council's power grab, according to Reuters:
Egypt: Muslim Brotherhood supporters are in no mood to disperse, and"The peaceful protests will continue in the squares and across Egypt. The struggle for a new Egypt is just beginning," Gihad Haddad, a Brotherhood official, told Reuters. The group had called for open-ended protests last week.
"We will continue exerting pressure for change on all fronts: through the 'Renaissance' (election) program, the protests and through quickly uniting Egyptians to form a new government to begin its work," another senior Brotherhood official, Hassan Malek, told Reuters.
Egypt: More words of caution to counter the celebrations in Tahrir Square.
Shadi Hamid director of research at the Brookings Doha Centre:
Morsi's victory does not change the basic facts: parliament was dissolved, martial law reinstated, and constitutional declaration imposed.
— Shadi Hamid (@shadihamid) June 24, 2012
But Liam Stack, stringer for the New York Times, says it is still a historic moment:
This is the first time in #egypt history the country will be ruled by someone who is not a king, emperor or general #EgyPresElex
— Liam Stack (@liamstack) June 24, 2012
Egypt: There's been no word yet from Morsi or Shafiq. But Tantawi, the head of the ruling military council, has called Morsi to offer his congratulations, according to reports.
Head of #Egypt military Hussein El-Tantawi congratulates Mohammed #Morsi for winning presidential eletions #EgyPresElex
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) June 24, 2012
Egypt: The Muslim Brotherhood has been keen to play up Morsi's revolutionary credentials in its first statements since the result was announced.
President Mohamed Morsi begins talks to form his presidential team and a new cabinet that will truly represent Egypt after revolution
— Ikhwanweb (@Ikhwanweb) June 24, 2012
As Egyptians celebrate their freedom, we pay special tribute to the martyrs of the great Egyptian revolution, their blood didn't go in vain
— Ikhwanweb (@Ikhwanweb) June 24, 2012
Activists and wise heads don't believe it:
This is not necessarily a win for the revolution...we still have many power struggles #Jan25 #Egypt #Morsi
— Nina (@Wild_atHeart) June 24, 2012
Anyone who thinks this completes #Egypt's revolution, think again. The next stage of the struggle starts here.
— Jack Shenker (@hackneylad) June 24, 2012
Egypt: Washington Post correspondent Ernesto Londoño assesses the mood in Tahrir Square.
This is the happiest I've seen Egyptians since Mubarak fell. #tahrir twitter.com/londonoe/statu…
— Ernesto Londoño (@londonoe) June 24, 2012
Egypt: Some instant reactions:
Activist Gigi Ibrahim:
Aside from my differences with Ikhwan and my deep opposition to their politics, I am very happy Shafiq lost! #Egypt
— Gigi Ibrahim(@Gsquare86) June 24, 2012
Blogger the Arabist:
I still hope @ElBaradei is appointed as head of intelligence, not PM.
— arabist (@arabist) June 24, 2012
Diplomat Thom Reilly:
#Cairo is a maelstrom of car horns. A cacophony of fireworks. Shouts, clapping. Permeating it all an overriding sense of relief. #Egypt
— Thom Reilly (@ThomReilly) June 24, 2012
Analyst Michael Hanna:
Can we now remember that there are many who oppose MB b/c they reject religious supremacism+inequality that inevitably inheres to MB project
— Michael Hanna (@mwhanna1) June 24, 2012
Academic Marc Lynch:
Historic transfer of power to elected Egyptian President would be more meaningful if there were (still) a Parliament and Constitution.
— Marc Lynch (@abuaardvark) June 24, 2012
Journalist Robert Mackey:
PHOTO:"Morsi! Morsi!" Tahrir Square sings after first freely elected Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi, read out twitter.com/RobertMackey/s…
— Robert Mackey (@RobertMackey) June 24, 2012
Egypt: The campaign to spoil ballot papers registered some success. There were 843,252 invalid votes, which was around 3.1% of the turnout.
This is not as high as campaigners had hoped (they were looking for up to 7%), but more than the usual 1%.
Egypt: TV networks are showing ecstatic scenes in Tahrir Square.
Al-Jazeera cut away from the conference to show a live feed from the square with no commentary.
Here's the final count:
Morsi: 13,230,131 votes (51.7%)
Shafiq: 12,347,380 (48%)
The turnout was 51% - bigger than the thought and bigger than the 46% of the first round.
The Brotherhood declares a new era.
Dr. Mohamed Morsi has won the presidency, and a new era in Egypt and the Arab world has begun. #egypreselex
— Ikhwanweb (@Ikhwanweb) June 24, 2012
We'll see.
Egypt: Mohammed Morsi has won with 51%.
Shafiq got 48%.
Wild celebrations in Tahrir Square.
Egypt: Sultan continues to go through each complaint. He is adding and subtracting votes to the respective candidates complaint by complaint. This really could take hours.
Jack Shenker can't bear it either:
He actually just spent several minutes detailing reinstatement of votes at a certain subcommittee - 8 for Shafik, 8 for Morsi. 8. Seriously.
— Jack Shenker (@hackneylad) June 24, 2012
There are 4 hours, 22 minutes to go before the England v Italy game starts. We may have to get Farouk and the football up on a split screen.
— Jack Shenker (@hackneylad) June 24, 2012
Journalist Alaa Bayoumi is talking days:
The sad news is there were more than 13000 voting stations in Egypt... Sultan can go on for days :)
— Alaa Bayoumi (@Alaabayoumi) June 24, 2012
Egypt: They can't bear the tension at the Shafiq campaign, according to journalist Rana Khazbak.
Sarhan, #shafik 's campaign spokesman, is so nervous, he was just pressing his head to the wall #egypt #Egypreselex
— Rana Khazbak (@RanaKhazbak) June 24, 2012
Ahmed Sarhan crawling alone in a corner #shafik #Egypreselex #egypt yfrog.com/esp8vycj
— Rana Khazbak (@RanaKhazbak) June 24, 2012
Egypt: An hour after the result should have been known, Sultan is still keeping us in suspense.
Oh lord, he's pretty much going through violation claims ballot box by ballot box. This could take hours... #Egypt
— Jack Shenker (@hackneylad) June 24, 2012
Egypt: More waffle. Even Britain's deputy ambassador to Egypt is getting undiplomatically frustrated.
My wife has just given the best explanation for the delay in the results. It's taken Faruq a whole week to write his speech! #Egyelections
— Thom Reilly (@ThomReilly) June 24, 2012
Egypt: Farouk complains about "media lies" against his election commission. He says the commission rose above these "shenanigans", according to a translation by the BBC. "The commission applied the law when it looked into the ballots. There is nothing above the law," he said.
"The commission stood away from entering rivalry," Sultan claimed.
Get on with it man.
Egypt: Farouk Sultan, the head of the Supreme Presidential Election Commission, begins the announcement. He talks about "tension" building for months. (He could put us out of our misery now, but doesn't).
Egypt: This is going to strung out. They all stand for Egypt's national anthem. Ompa Ompa.
Egypt: Here we go, the members of the election commission have taken their seats and called for quiet.
Egypt: Still waiting...
My street, Abdel Munim Riyad square and the 6th October flyover suddenly all looking pretty deserted - Egyptians glued to radios & TVs
— Jack Shenker (@hackneylad) June 24, 2012
Egypt: Shadi Hamid, director of research at the Brookings Doha Centre, appears convinced that Morsi should be declared the winner.
The only thing we'll really learn with the coming announcement is whether or not the election results were rigged. #Egypt
— Shadi Hamid (@shadihamid) June 24, 2012
Egypt: When the press conferences finally gets under way we are likely to be subjected to a long detailed analysis of investigations into complaints, before the result is announced.
Amir Salah-Ahmed, editor of Egypt Monocle, sums up the view of many:
Awaiting the outcome of weeklong negotiations/back door peddling/conspiracizing/etc..not election results. #egyelection
— Amira Salah-Ahmed (@Amiralx) June 24, 2012
Egypt: While we wait, Jack Shenker puts the announcement in context:
#Egypt's imminent elex result is exciting & relevant for many reasons - but won't provide any kind of window on to nation's political will
— Jack Shenker (@hackneylad) June 24, 2012
#jan25 was supposed to end the era of old men making decisions in smoky rooms on behalf of 80 million Egyptians... #Egypt
— Jack Shenker (@hackneylad) June 24, 2012
...When the revolution eventually succeeds maybe we will look back on today as the last gasp of an anachronistic age #Egypt
— Jack Shenker (@hackneylad) June 24, 2012
Egypt: The agonising wait may go on for even longer.
State TV: 30 more minutes until #Egypt election results
— Bikya Masr (@bikyamasr) June 24, 2012
Ha!! RT @khanundrum: Hearing reports #Egypt presidential results delayed further 30 minutes.
— Lisa Goldman (@lisang) June 24, 2012
I got sweaty palms ..my fingers are shaking.. I feel hot.. but then again I feel cold.. Am I hearing my heart beating in my head?#Egypt
— Dima Khatib أنا ديمة (@Dima_Khatib) June 24, 2012
Meanwhile, the Muslim Brotherhood is still predicting victory for its candidate Mohammed Morsi. It's official Twitter account just put this out:
Minutes away from officially declaring #Morsi the first civilian president in Egypt's history, and first after the revolution. #EgyPresElec
— Ikhwanweb (@Ikhwanweb) June 24, 2012
Farouk Sultan, the head of the Supreme Presidential Election Commission, is preparing to announce the result, according to reports.
Egypt: Not long now.Egypt: With the press conference only moments away speculation about both Shafiq and Morsi wins continues.
Al-Jazeera's Evan Hill tweets:
Document w/ SPEC watermarks, signatures is floating around on Twitter showing Shafiq winning. Easily could be fake. We'll see.
— Evan Hill (@evanchill) June 24, 2012
مبروك twitter.com/AmrGunner1/sta…
— Amr Hussein (@AmrGunner1) June 24, 2012
Cairo-based journalist Bassem Sabry, points out:
"Sources" tell @Shorouk_News news now that Morsi will be announced president shortly. #Egypt
— Bassem Sabry (@Bassem_Sabry) June 24, 2012
ElBaradei shouldn't accept a government post if Mohammed Morsi wins the election, argues Mahmoud Salem better known as Sandmondkey.
Egypt: Nobel laureate MohamedQuite naturally, they offered it to ElBaradei , because he is our number one choice for replacement leaders in times of crisis. Amazingly, he is the almost always available option when someone in the revolution's camp gets stuck with the question of "who should we bring for this most unpleasant situation? ElBaradei, of course. Call him". Well, if you love ElBaradei, you should hope he doesn't accept that post, or else he would be set-up to take the blame for the bad economy set-up taking place.
The Brotherhood has denied negotiating with ElBaradei over a cabinet post, according to the Egypt Independent.
Fears of violence are mounting ahead of the result, according to Reuters
Egypt:Few troops were on the streets but security officials said they were ready to respond to trouble. Government workers around Cairo's Tahrir Square, where thousands of Muslim Brotherhood supporters had gathered, were encouraged to go home for the day.
Armoured vehicles were posted in the capital at the election committee headquarters and the government information office where a news conference will end an anxious week of waiting.
Speculation has reached fever pitch ahead of the results, as rival demonstrations by Shafiq and Morsi supporters illustrate Egypt's polarization, and Mohamed ElBaradei meets the top general, says Abdel-Rahman Hussein in Cairo.
Egypt:Speaking via Skype he said:
This is the most hotly anticipated press conference in Egyptian history. Any further delay is not good for our hearts and our minds.
The speculation is intense, every hour it changes. Now it looks like Morsi is winning.
There have been reports that the Muslim Brotherhood have been locked in negotiations with the army. The election result hinges on negotiations not voting. I think Morsi is possibly going to be named the president today, and for that to happen they are going to have to give up on [the dissolved] parliament and the constitution.
If Shafiq wins all hell breaks loose. It is going to be a very visceral, very strong reaction. It's going to be very big, and very negative, and not just by the Muslim Brotherhood. For all revolutionary forces to see Shafiq assume the presidency a year and half after you've ousted his boss is a bitter pill to swallow.
Don't be surprise if they say the rerun will have to be redone, or if they annul the results entirely. We would have to start over and start with the constitution this time and then parliamentary elections and presidential election.
Mohamed ElBaradei met the head of Scaf, Hussein Tantawi, last night, Abdu reports. Nobody is quite sure what was discussed. Competing theories suggest he was being offered the premiership under Morsi, or even heading a national salvation government if the presidentail poll result is annulled.
Meanwhile, "revolutionary forces for the first time ever find themselves on the couch," Abdu said. "They are just watching the Muslim Brotherhood in Tahrir and the pro-Shafiq supporters in Nasr city. They are thinking 'things have changed somewhat'," he said.
The number of Shafiq supporters rivalled Muslim Brotherhood camp, in the most recent rallies, Abdu said.
That has a lot to do with anti-Muslim Brotherhood that a lot of people feel in this country. It really has mobilised a lot of people who would normally have stayed at home.
If the Brotherhood had built alliances with secularist forces earlier, Egypt may have avoided this current this crisis, Abdu argues.
Turkish fighter jet shot down by Syria on Friday has been found in Syrian waters, Reuters reports, citing Turkish news channels.
Syria: The wreckage of thevideo from Photojournalist Cliff Cheney.
Egypt: Supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate Mohammed Morsi have continued their sit-in/protest ahead of the result, according toTurkey has called for an extraordinary Nato meeting over the downing of its plane by Syria in international airspace, AP reports citing Turkish TV.
Syria:TRT television reported Sunday that Turkey has sought the NATO meeting for Tuesday.
Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told State TV that Turkey would seek the meeting over article 4 of the Nato charter concerning Friday's incident.
Meanwhile, Britain's foreign secretary William Hague said the UK "stands ready to pursue robust action" at the UN following the shooting down of Turkish plane by Syria.
In a statement he said:
I am gravely concerned by the Syrian regime's action in shooting down a Turkish military plane on 22 June. When I spoke to Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglu on 23 June, he told me that the plane had been shot down without warning.
This outrageous act underlines how far beyond accepted behaviour the Syrian regime has put itself and I condemn it wholeheartedly. My thoughts and sympathies are with the families and friends of the missing Turkish pilots. I have made clear to foreign minister Davutoglu the UK's strong support for the Turkish government at this difficult time.
The Assad regime should not make the mistake of believing that it can act with impunity. It will be held to account for its behaviour. The UK stands ready to pursue robust action at the United Nations security council.
This deplorable incident underlines the urgent need to find a solution to the current crisis in Syria in order to bring an end to the violence and to achieve a genuine political transition. We support the Joint UN and Arab League Special Envoy's continuing efforts on this.
Egypt: Here's a selection of some of the predictions of what's going to happen today:
Activist Gigi Ibrahim:
Today we finally know who "won" elections..If it's not Morsi then for sure the delay was for fixing it to Shafiq #Egypt
— Gigi Ibrahim(@Gsquare86) June 24, 2012
Blogger and analyst Issandr el-Amrani:
My guess for today: Morsi prez, MB gradually backs down on other matters, lingering uncertainty on new elex.
— arabist (@arabist) June 24, 2012
Activist Ahmad Aggour:
If Morsi is announced winner, then you know that he agreed to be Tantawi's dog. Otherwise Shafiq will be announced winner. #Egypt
— Ahmad H. Aggour (@Psypherize) June 24, 2012
A battle between secularist and Islamist forces will dictate what happens next in the Middle East according to according to Britain's former prime minister Tony Blair.
Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr show he said the Arab Spring was not analogous to the fall of the Berlin Wall. "People from Eastern Europe looked over the wall. There was a united view of what they wanted. They wanted what we had in western Europe and by and large they got it," he claimed.
Blair added: "In the this region there are two very different views as to what comes next after you lift the lid on these dictatorships. One that is very much secular and modernising, liberal-minded. The other is very much based on a religious view of society."
Blair, Middle East envoy to the US, EU, Russia and the UN, said such views were irreconcilable.
We have got to remain engaged with this process. We should be supporting a programme of evolution across this region. We should understand that revolution will throw up, these very dangerous and toxic forces - you can see this from Iraq indeed. Short term this is going to be really really difficult. Long term this is good. The good news from the Middle East is that people want freedom. The bad news is that they are going to have a struggle getting to a form of democracy that is genuinely open minded and pluralistic.
(all times BST) Welcome to a Sunday edition of Middle East Live focusing on the Egyptian presidential election and the latest from Syria.
We will have all the build up to the result in Egypt; the announcement itself at around 2pm; and then the reaction.
We will also have all the latest fallout on the shooting down of a Turkish jet by Syrian forces.
Here's a roundup of the key developments from Egypt and Syria:
Egypt
The BBC's Cairo correspondent John Leyne says:
Egypt awaits this election result, nervous about the consequences, and with opinion deeply polarised. The Muslim Brotherhood are convinced that their candidate, Mohamed Morsi, is the winner. They've produced documents they say prove it. And if the result does not confirm it, they will believe the election has been stolen from them.
The former prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq, also claims victory. His supporters blame international media, and even Western governments, for wanting to hand victory to the Brotherhood. They warn of the dire consequences if Islamists take control.
• The military council and the Muslim Brotherhood are trying to thrash out a deal to end the current standoff, but if no agreement can be found Shafiq is expected to be declared president, Ahram reports. A leading Brotherhood figure said: "But if no deal is reached, and if the SCAF insists on taking everything and giving nothing, then we would not be surprised if they announce Shafiq as president."
In so doing, the Brotherhood is acceding to arguments for greater collaboration and openness that have been for years advanced by its more liberal leaders ...
He acknowledged ... that most Egyptians now believed that the weeklong delay in the announcement had turned the declaration of a president into a bargaining chip in the generals' indirect negotiations with the Brotherhood and its new allies.
• Shafiq supporters gathered in Nasr City on Saturday, ahead of the results chanting against slogans against the Muslim Brotherhood, the al-Jazeera reports. Protesters chanted "Down with the rule of the Supreme Guide".
Sherif Abdel Wahab said the director of the programme had ordered coverage of the protests in Nasr city in support of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq, and to ignore the much larger gathering of protesters in Tahrir Square.
• Al-Jazeera has footage of both Shafiq and Morsi rallies ahead of today's announcement.
Its report is a useful summary of the build up to the results.
Syria
• Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the plane that was downed by Syrian was not spying against Syria and was over international waters when it was hit. He said the plane had no "covert mission related to Syria," and it was purely on a training flight to test Turkey's radar capabilities, according to the Turkish daily Hurriyet.
• Turkey's leaders have warned that they will take "necessary" action in response to incident. President, Abdullah Gül, said Turkish and Syrian forces were working together to search for the two missing crew of the F-4 aircraft, which was shot down over the Mediterranean on Friday and that any cover-up would not be possible.
• The International Committee of the Red Cross has condemned the killing of of a Red Crescent volunteer in the eastern city of Deir Ezzor. Bashar al-Youssef, who was shot in his Red Crescent uniform, became the fourth ICRC/Red Crescent volunteer to die since the crisis began. Dr Abdul Rahman al-Attar, the president of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, said: "We are shocked by Bashar's death. It is completely unacceptable." It is unclear which side was responsible.