2012 EMF miniEURO, Knockout stage
The knockout stage matches, which includes quarter-finals, semi-finals, third place play-off and the final, were all played on 23 September 2012. If a match is drawn after 40 minutes of regular play, a penalty shoot-out is used to determine the winner.


2012 EPZ Omloop van Borsele
The 2012 EPZ Omloop van Borsele was the 11th running of the Omloop van Borsele, a women's cycling event in 's-Heerenhoek, the Netherlands. New this year was the introduction of an individual time trial, held on 20 April over a distance of 18 kilometres (11.2 miles). The road race was held on 21 April 2012 over a distance of 121.5 kilometres (75.5 miles). It was rated by the UCI as 1.2 category race.


2012 EPZ Omloop van Borsele
After winning the time trial of Borsele, Team Specialized–lululemon rider Ellen van Dijk won also the road race of the EPZ Omloop van Borsele. She won the sprint of a group of seven riders ahead of Gracie Elvin from Australia (Australian national team) and Sarah Düster from Germany (Rabobank Women Cycling Team).


2012 EPZ Omloop van Borsele, Time trial
The individual time trial was held on 20 April over a distance of 18 kilometres (11.2 miles).


2012 EPZ Omloop van Borsele, Road race, Race report
The race took place on a wet course on 21 April. After 25 kilometer a group of 6 riders emerged (Ellen van Dijk, Gracie Elvin, Chantal Blaak, Amy Pieters, Iris Slappendel, Megan Guarner and Melissa Hoskins). Slapendel (Rabobank Women Cycling Team) had to leave the group due to material damage. Sarah Düster was able to ride to the front group and so the Rabobank Women Cycling Team had another rider at the front. Due to good teamwork the seven riders were not pulled back by the bunch with among others the world champion Giorgia Bronzini. In the final kilometers Elvin and Düster tried both to escape but it was Van Dijk who reached first the finish line.


2012 ESF Men's Super Club Championship
The 2012 ESF men's Super Cup club championships was an international softball competition for men's fastpitch being held at Eagles Park and Svoboda Park in Prague, Czech Republic from August 27 to September 1, 2012. The Super Cup was a new edition of the ESF Men's European Cup, merging the old European Cup with the ESF Cup Winners Cup. The teams first competed in pool play, with the top 8 teams qualifying for the Super Cup, and the bottom 8 teams playing for the ESF Challenge Cup. After pool play, the setup for both the Super Cup and the Challenge Cup was a double elimination knockout system. In the end, the Hørsholm Hurricanes won the first Super Cup title.


2012 ESPY Awards
The 2012 ESPY Awards were announced from Nokia Theatre on July 11, 2012 and showed during the telecast on ESPN, July 11, 2012. ESPY Award is short for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award.


2012 EU Cup Australian rules football
The 2012 Euro Cup of Australian rules football was a 9-a-side Footy tournament held in Edinburgh (Scotland) on September 22, 2012, with 16 national men's teams and two women's teams. The men's tournament was won by Ireland who defeated Denmark in the Grand Final by 1 point to claim its second EU Cup Championship. Denmark's Aksel Bang was named Player of the Tournament and was the Leading Goal Kicker.


2012 EU Cup Australian rules football, Venue
Matches were played at Peffermill Fields at the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh.


2012 EU Cup Australian rules football, Final standings
1. Ireland (EU Cup Winners) 2. Denmark (EU Cup Runners Up) 3. England (EU Cup 3rd Place Winners) 4. Italy 5. Croatia 6. Germany 7. Sweden 8. Finland 9. France (Bowl Winners) 10. Spain 11. Scotland 12. Wales 13. Norway (Plate Winners) 14. Iceland 15. Czech Republic 16. Austria


2012 East 'Are'are by-election
A by-election was held in the East 'Are'are constituency in the Solomon Islands on 1 August 2012. It was initially scheduled for the month of March, then delayed.


2012 East 'Are'are by-election
In the August 2010 general election, the seat was won by Andrew Hanaria, of the People's Congress Party; he entered Parliament for the first time. He was appointed Minister for Aviation and Communication by new Prime Minister Danny Philip. His election was voided by the High Court on 7 December 2011, as he was found to have bribed voters in his constituency with cash and material goods before the election. He will not be permitted to stand in the by-election.


2012 East 'Are'are by-election
Sir Peter Kenilorea, who led the country during its period of transition to independence from the United Kingdom in 1978, announced his intention to stand in the by-election. (He served as Chief Minister then Prime Minister from 1976 to 1981, and from 1984 to 1986, before retiring from active politics in 1991, and returning as Speaker of Parliament from 2001 to 2005.)


2012 East 'Are'are by-election
In early April 2012, the by-election having not yet been held, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Manasseh Maelanga explained that there was legal uncertainty as to whether Hanaria could stand as a candidate. This was also affecting the scheduled by-election in North Malaita, in which MP Jimmy Lusibaea had lost his seat upon conviction for assault and grievous bodily harm, for events committed a decade earlier, but was seeking to stand for reelection. Maelanga stated that legal advice was being sought from the Attorney General, who was abroad, before a date for the two by-elections could be set.


2012 East 'Are'are by-election
On 20 June, a date was finally announced for the by-election: 1 August. The four candidates were as follows. Andrew Manepora'a, an economist and head of the anti-money laundering unit of the Central Bank of Solomon Islands, won the seat by a comfortable margin; Sir Peter Kenilorea came third. The full results are as follows:


2012 East Africa Cup
The 2012 East Africa Cup was the second edition of a regional 50 overs domestic tournament  started by Cricket Kenya. It was won by Coast Pekee. Who defeated Rwenzori Warriors by 6 wickets in the final.


2012 East Africa Premier League
The 2012 East Africa Premier League was the second edition of a regional domestic Twenty20 tournament started by Cricket Kenya to address failing cricket standards in the region. Having gone through the round robin stage unbeaten Rwenzori Warriors defeated Rising Stars Chuis in the final to win the title for the first time.


2012 East Ayrshire Council election
Elections to East Ayrshire Council were held on 3 May 2012, the same day as the other Scottish local government elections. The election is the second using 9 new wards created as a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, each ward elected three or four councillors using the single transferable vote system form of proportional representation. The new wards replaced 32 single-member wards which used the plurality (first past the post) system of election.


2012 East Ayrshire Council election, Election result
Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes. The net gain/loss and percentage changes relate to the result of the previous Scottish local elections on 3 May 2007. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at dissolution of Scotland's councils.


2012 East Azerbaijan earthquakes
The 2012 East Azerbaijan earthquakes – also known as the Ahar earthquakes – occurred on 11 August 2012, at 16:53 Iran Standard Time, near the cities of Ahar and Varzaqan in Iran's East Azerbaijan Province, approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Tabriz. They comprised a doublet separated by eleven minutes, with magnitudes of 6.4 and 6.2 Mww. At least 306 people died and more than 3,000 others were injured, primarily in the rural and mountainous areas to the northeast of Tabriz (though 45 died in the city of Ahar). The shocks were felt in Armenia and Azerbaijan, though no major damage was reported.


2012 East Azerbaijan earthquakes, Tectonic setting
Iran lies within the complex zone of continental collision between the Arabian Plate and the Eurasian Plate, which extends from the Bitlis-Zagros belt in the south to the Greater Caucasus mountains, the Absheron-Balkan Sill and the Kopet Dag mountains in the north. The collision between these plates deforms an area of ~ 3,000,000 km2 of continental crust. It is one of the largest convergent deformation regions on Earth. In northwestern Iran, the Arabian Plate is moving northwards at about 20 mm per year relative to the Eurasian Plate, somewhat oblique to the plate boundary zone.


2012 East Azerbaijan earthquakes, Tectonic setting
The deformation in the area near Tabriz is dominated by the North Tabriz Fault, a WNW-ESE trending right-lateral strike-slip fault, which has been responsible for 7 historical earthquakes of magnitude greater than 6 since AD 858. Other known active faults include a W-E trending fault between the cities of Ahar and Heris.


2012 East Azerbaijan earthquakes, Earthquakes
The 6.4 and 6.2 intraplate earthquakes occurred as a result of oblique strike-slip faulting in the shallow crust about 300 km east of the Eurasia-Arabian Plate boundary. The two earthquakes are separated by 10 km in an east–west direction.


2012 East Azerbaijan earthquakes, Earthquakes, Damage and casualties
Iran's state television reported the quake hit near the towns of Ahar, Heris and Varzaqan in East Azerbaijan Province at 4:53 p.m. local time (12:23 GMT). "268 people, 219 women and 49 men, lost their lives in hospitals" while the rest were killed on the spot, Iran's Health Minister Marzieh Vahid-Dastjerdi said. The Iranian minister added that 3,037 people have been injured as a result of Saturday's temblors. According to the head of Iran's Rescue and Relief Organisation, access to villages has been cut and the only communication is via radio. The worst damage and most casualties were in villages near the towns of Ahar, Varzaghan and Heris. In villages near Varzaqan, with most men away from home working, the many mud brick houses which collapsed trapped mainly women and children inside.


2012 East Azerbaijan earthquakes, Earthquakes, Damage and casualties
Sixty-six rescue teams were sent to the affected region, along with about 200 ambulances and five helicopters. 130 villages were 70–90% destroyed, and 20 were completely leveled. At least 45 people died and more than 500 were injured in Ahar, where electricity and phone lines were cut after the quakes. More than 40 people died in the city of Varzaqan and 50 were killed in Heris. The medical infrastructure in the catastrophe stricken region is not sufficient, and many heavily injured did not survive the rather long way to the nearest hospital.


2012 East Azerbaijan earthquakes, Earthquakes, Damage and casualties
Most parts of Tabriz also lost electricity, and the city had a large traffic jam. Some buildings were structurally damaged. Over 200 people in Varzaqan and Ahar were extricated from under the debris of collapsed buildings, and local provincial officials asked people in the region to stay outdoors during the night because of the danger of aftershocks. Some residents needed bread, tents and drinking water.


2012 East Azerbaijan earthquakes, Earthquakes, Damage and casualties
Rescue teams continued searching for survivors through the night, Iranian officials said they expected the death toll to rise. Between ten and twenty villages close to the epicenter were still cut off from aid and it would take some time to reach them. The Iranian government estimated at least 16,000 people spent the first night after the quakes in emergency shelters.


2012 East Azerbaijan earthquakes, Earthquakes, Damage and casualties
A day after the quakes, more than 36,000 people had been given emergency shelter, and the Iranian government had dispatched nearly 100 ambulances, 1,100 Red Crescent workers, 44,000 food packages and 5,600 tents. According to Red Crescent officials, more than 1,000 villages were affected by the disaster, and at least 5,000 people were injured. Hospitals in the region's major cities were overcrowded and struggling to cope with the large number of people waiting for treatment.


2012 East Azerbaijan earthquakes, Earthquakes, Aftershocks
At least 80 aftershocks were felt. A 5.0 quake struck three hours later and a 5.1 aftershock struck 31 km southwest of Ahar on 12 August.


2012 East Azerbaijan earthquakes, Earthquakes, Aftershocks
On 14 August, three days after the initial quakes, another 5.1 aftershock struck the same area at a depth of 10 km. An even stronger 5.3 tremor occurred on 15 August, approximately 34 km southwest of Ahar.


2012 East Azerbaijan earthquakes, Reaction, Domestic
The East Azerbaijan province governor announced two days of public mourning in the province. Mostafa Mohammad Najjar, Minister of Interior and Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi, Minister of Health, traveled to Tabriz and Ahar. The Iranian Red Crescent did not request any international assistance.


2012 East Azerbaijan earthquakes, Reaction, International
In the first two days, the Iranian Red Crescent said they would not accept outside help. Three days later, the Iranian government announced it would accept foreign help.


2012 East Azerbaijan earthquakes, Reaction, Criticism of Iranian government and state TV's late response
The Iranian government was criticized regarding to crisis management of the earthquake. The decision to stop the search for survivors after 24 hours was based on a government assessment that all survivors had been rescued from the rubble; an unnamed local doctor disputed the likelihood of that assessment based on the remoteness of some villages. A lack of tents for the homeless was also cited by members of the Majlis. The IRIB was criticised in an editorial in the Asr-e Iran newspaper for its perceived lack of news coverage of the earthquake. In a Majlis meeting on 13 August 2012, MPs from the affected region questioned President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for not visiting the area and for not announcing public mourning. That day, Iran then announced two days of public mourning.


2012 East Carolina Pirates football team
The 2012 East Carolina Pirates football team represented East Carolina University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Ruffin McNeill and played their home games at Dowdy–Ficklen Stadium. They were a member of the East Division of Conference USA.


2012 East Dunbartonshire Council election
Elections to East Dunbartonshire Council were held on 3 May 2012, the same day as the 31 other local authorities in Scotland. The election used the eight wards created under the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, with 24 Councillors being elected. Each ward elected either 3 or 4 members, using the STV electoral system.


2012 East Dunbartonshire Council election
The election saw Labour gain 2 seats to draw level with the Scottish National Party. However, Labour remained the largest party in terms of vote share. The Scottish National Party retained all their existing 8 seats and did not run any additional candidates though did significantly raised their vote share. The Scottish Liberal Democrats retained their 3 seats on the Council. The Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party lost 3 seats, just 2 in number, the equivalent numbers of the East Dunbartonshire Independent Alliance. Former Lib Dem Cllr Duncan Cumming was elected as an Independent.


2012 East Dunbartonshire Council election
Following the election the Labour Party formed a Coalition with Liberal Democrats and the Conservative Party. This replaced the previous Labour - Conservative coalition administration which had existed from 2007-2012.


2012 East Dunbartonshire Council election, Election result
Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes. The net gain/loss and percentage changes relate to the result of the previous Scottish local elections on 3 May 2007. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at dissolution of Scotland's councils.


2012 East Lothian Council election
Elections to East Lothian Council were held on 3 May 2012, on the same day as the other Scottish local government elections. The election used the 7 wards created as a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, with each ward electing three or four councillors using the single transferable vote system form of proportional representation, with 23 councillors elected.


2012 East Lothian Council election
The election saw Labour regain their previous position as the largest party on the council as they regained 3 of the seats they had lost in the 2007 Local Elections while also significantly increasing their vote share. The Scottish National Party also increased their representation and remained in second place on the authority with 2 net gains. The Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party increased their representation to 3 seats while Independents retained their single seat on the authority. The Scottish Liberal Democrats were decimated, losing all their six seats although two members had defected after 2007 and one of these councillors was re-elected as a Scottish Nationalist, the other failed to be re-elected as a Scottish Nationalist.


2012 East Lothian Council election
Following the election the Labour Party formed a coalition with the Conservative Party, with Councillor Willie Innes of the Labour Party becoming leader of the council and experienced Conservative Councillor Ludovic Broun-Lindsay becoming provost, resigning as leader of the Conservatives on the council to hold the provost role in a non-partisan and non-party political way, with new councillor Michael Veitch becoming leader of the Conservative group. This new coalition replaced the previous SNP - Lib Dem coalition administration, which had existed from 2007 to 2012.


2012 East Lothian Council election, Background
The previous elections in 2007 had returned no one party with enough councillors to create majority single-party governance as there had been in East Lothian up until that point. The SNP and Labour both returned 7 councillors to the chamber, the Liberal Democrats won 6, the Conservatives 2 and a sole independent candidate was elected as councillor. After the election, the SNP and the Liberal Democrats entered into a coalition, throwing the Labour out of office, having previously controlled the council with a large majority for many years before that.


2012 East Lothian Council election, Background
The 2012 election was the first since Councillor David Berry had fallen only 151 votes short of winning East Lothian for the SNP in the 2011 Scottish Parliament Elections a major coup due to the seat being considered a traditional Labour stronghold seat and it being the seat of then leader of Scottish Labour, Iain Gray. While nationally at that election the SNP was the first party to gain an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament. With this result still fresh in the mind, the SNP predicted major gains, including taking overall majority control of many councils including East Lothian.


2012 East Lothian Council election, Background
The Labour Party, in many aspects still reeling from national electoral annihilation on a national level during the previous year's election, had come into the election with the hope of gaining seats, with a slim hope gaining a majority control of the council.


2012 East Lothian Council election, Background
The Liberal Democrats had struggled during the previous five years of leadership on the council with the SNP. They had suffered the defection of wife-and-husband councillor duo of Ruth and Stuart Currie on 11 August 2009 to their coalition partners, the SNP, due to "personal disagreements" with fellow Liberal Democrat councillors. This reduced their representation on the council from 6 to 4, weakening their hand in the rule coalition. It also had the effect of damaging the morale and effectiveness of the local party. This was also the Scottish Liberal Democrats' second election since the entering coalition with the Conservative Party in the UK Parliament. The party had suffered badly at the 2011 Scottish Parliament Election, and it was expected that this would continue in the 2012 local elections.


2012 East Lothian Council election, Background
For the Scottish Conservatives, it was the first election since the election of Ruth Davidson as leader of the party in Scotland. On a local the Conservatives entered the election in East Lothian with a realistic hope of a gain in the election through Michael Veitch, who was the Conservative candidate in the 2010 general election in East Lothian, in the Dunbar and East Linton ward. Previously the Conservatives had come second in the 2010 General Election, a very good result. The party locally believed that it would be able to hold the balance of power in the new makeup of the council with the opinion of working with either the Labour Party or the SNP on a local level.


2012 East Lothian Council election, Background
Independent John Caldwell had first been elected in 2007, and the local media felt that he would keep his seat during this election. There was little chance of this changing due to him being considered an effective local politician by the majority of the public. He was joined by 3 other independent candidates who were standing in other wards, none of whom, it was felt, who stood a realistic chance of being elected.


2012 East Lothian Council election, Background
Two minor parties also took part in the election, UKIP and Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition, each standing 2 and 1 candidates respectively. This was the first time that both of these parties were standing candidates in the East Lothian Council elections since the introduction of the current voting system.


2012 East Lothian Council election, Background
Since the election in 2012 Councillor David Berry has left the SNP and now sits as an Independent Nationalist councillor.


2012 East Lothian Council election, Background
In April 2013 Councillor Stuart Currie replaced Councillor Paul McLennan as SNP Group Leader and Leader of the Opposition.


2012 East Lothian Council election, Election result
Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes. The net gain/loss and percentage changes relate to the result of the previous Scottish local elections on 3 May 2007. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at dissolution of Scotland's councils.


2012 East Renfrewshire Council election
The 2012 East Renfrewshire Council election took place on 3 May 2012 to elect members of East Renfrewshire Council. The election used the six wards created as a result of the Local Governance (Scotland) Act 2004, with each ward electing three or four Councillors using the single transferable vote system a form of proportional representation, with 20 Councillors being elected.


2012 East Renfrewshire Council election
The election saw Labour gain 1 seat while also increasing their vote share. The Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party lost 1 seat and saw their vote share fall as they now become the second largest party on the Council. The Scottish National Party gained 1 seat to increase their numbers to 4 and remained the third largest party. Independents retained their 2 seats while the Scottish Liberal Democrats were wiped out again losing their single seat on the authority.


2012 East Renfrewshire Council election
Following the election the Labour Party formed a Coalition with SNP and the Independent Danny Devlin. This was in effect a continuation of the previous Labour - SNP - Independent - Lib Dem coalition administration which had existed before 2012.


2012 East Renfrewshire Council election, Election result
Note: "Votes" are the first preference votes. The net gain/loss and percentage changes relate to the result of the previous Scottish local elections on 3 May 2007. This may differ from other published sources showing gain/loss relative to seats held at dissolution of Scotland's councils.


2012 East Timorese parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in East Timor on 7 July 2012. The United Nations stated that it would withdraw its 1,300 troops if the elections passed off peacefully. The National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction, led by Prime Minister Xanana Gusmão, won the election with 30 seats, three seats short of a majority in National Parliament.


2012 East Timorese parliamentary election, Electoral system
All 65 members of the National Parliament were elected from a single nationwide constituency by party-list proportional representation voting. A party had to cross the electoral threshold of 3% to enter parliament and seats were distributed according to the d'Hondt method. Parties were required to submit lists with 65 candidates and at least 25 replacements. According to the electoral law, every fourth member on a party's list has to be a woman.


2012 East Timorese parliamentary election, Campaign
In total, 21 political parties registered for the election. The campaign was focused on economic issues, particularly the country's $10.5 billion oil fund. Alongside the two main parties, CNRT and FRETILIN, a further 19 parties and lists registered for the elections.


2012 East Timorese parliamentary election, Campaign
The election campaign was focussed on economic issues, particularly the question of what should be done with the country's oil fund, worth $10.5 billion. The CNRT campaign pledged to increase the amount of money the fund contributed to the state budget beyond the existing 3% limit and to attract foreign loans for infrastructure improvement projects, promising long-term investment in roads and electricity and water supplies. FRETILIN opposed CNRT's policies on foreign loans and changes to the oil fund spending, but ran a campaign focused on raising levels of income and education. FRETILIN general secretary Mari Alkatiri promised to reduce corruption if elected.


2012 East Timorese presidential election
Presidential elections were held in East Timor on 17 March 2012, with a second round on 16 April 2012. Incumbent president Jose Ramos-Horta, who was eligible for a second and final term as president, announced that he would seek nomination to be a candidate in the election. The election was seen as a test for the "young democracy" in seeking to take control of its own security. Former military commander Taur Matan Ruak provisionally beat Francisco Guterres in a second round runoff.


2012 East Timorese presidential election, Background
The presidency is seen as a unifying post for the country after the 1999 East Timorese crisis. This election is also seen as a test FRETILIN's ability to take back control in the parliamentary election later in the year.


2012 East Timorese presidential election, Background
Incumbent president Jose Ramos-Horta had initially been reluctant to run for re-election, but a draft movement collected over 120,000 signatures in favour of his candidacy, prompting him to run.


2012 East Timorese presidential election, Candidates
There were finally twelve candidates running for president; two others eventually were excluded, one failing to meet the nomination requirements and another dying at the start of the election.


2012 East Timorese presidential election, Candidates
The candidacy of Angela Freitas, was rejected by the CNE due to the ineligibility of some of the signatures required. She then offered her support to FRETILIN's Francisco Guterres. One candidate Francisco Xavier do Amaral, a member of the National Parliament of East Timor and a leader of Timorese Social Democratic Association, died during the campaign, on 5 March 2012. A special plenary session of parliament amended the electoral so as not to restart the electoral process as mandated by the older law. The controversial move elicited protests.


2012 East Timorese presidential election, Campaign
Economic issues were said to be the primary concern. According to the AFP, the most likely candidates were Jose Ramos-Horta, Francisco "Lu Olo" Guterres and Taur Matan Ruak. Ruak also said that he was confident of winning without a run-off. He won the backing of CNRT after it withdrew support for Ramos-Horta over criticism of the government; still, Ramos-Horta said he was not unhappy with the decision to support Ruak: "I'm very happy he's supporting one of my favourite candidates. If someone supports [Ruak] I'm happy because I admire [him]."


2012 East Timorese presidential election, Campaign
Ruak was seen as likely to get some votes from FRETILIN's traditional base as he was popular with the party and repeatedly courted by the party hierarchy before opting to run as an independent after he quit his army post. However, there were also concerns of having someone affiliated to the army run for president because the army has sometimes disagreed with the police. Ruak campaigned wearing camouflage to highlight his role in the War of Independence.


2012 East Timorese presidential election, Campaign
Ramos-Horta said before the election that "If I'm not elected, I have so many things to do - I have to struggle to choose what to do." Xanana Gusmão campaigned for Ruak. Both Guitteres and Ruak said that they would abide by the outcome of the second round of the election. Ruak also said that he was proud to be Gusmão's deputy during the independence struggle. In the second round the Democratic Party and Ramos-Horta remained neutral.


2012 East Timorese presidential election, Monitors and electoral issues
International observers were present from Australia, the European Union, Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL) and Lusophone states. On 2 March, the CNE held a meeting, led by its president, Faustino Cardoso Gomes, with an EU delegation based in the country to discuss issues pertaining to the election and its monitoring. The Timor-Leste Friendship Network/Deakin University Observer Mission was an Australian observer group.


2012 East Timorese presidential election, Monitors and electoral issues
On 28 February, the National Electoral Commission (CNE) had organised a national initiative for the conduct of a peaceful election at the Dili Convention Centre. It was attended by traditional leaders from the 13 electoral districts and culminated in a pact being signed after a debate by the then 12 of 13 candidates (Francisco Xavier do Amaral did not attend the event due to ill health).


2012 East Timorese presidential election, Monitors and electoral issues
On 5 March, the CNE held a meeting with the political parties and presidential candidates to explain issues and rules about the campaigning process, the roles of political parties' and candidates' agents and campaign finance issues. The president of state-owned Radio-Televisão Timor Leste (RTTL) Expedito also elucidated RTTL's role in covering the election. Amongst the attendees were representatives of all 13 political parties and six presidential candidates.


2012 East Timorese presidential election, Monitors and electoral issues
The Deputy Secretary-General of UNMIT, Finn Reske-Nielson, said of the election that "we have seen a clean campaign that's been virtually free of violence. Every candidate has committed him or herself to peace." If the election turned out as planned UNMIT could also leave the country at the end of the year as per its current mandate.


2012 East Timorese presidential election, Violence
On 20 February, the offices of the CNE and the Technical Secretariat for Electoral Administration were firebombed at about 3:00 in the national capital of Dili. The attack also damaged a UNMIT vehicle. Australia's Sky News also suggested that witnesses had reported seeing serving members of the military campaign for Ruak amid what it said were fears of voter intimidation. However, Ramos-Horta said that he is "completely reassured about security. Our police and the United Nations police are alert all over the country.


2012 East Timorese presidential election, Violence
They have tremendous experience over the years in assessing the situation, in pre-empting any security threats so I am very confident it will be okay." However, Indonesia's ambassador, Eddy Setyabudi, said that the government of Indonesia was making contingency plans to evacuate 7,540 Indonesians from the country if the situation worsens and riots occur, following a meeting of the Indonesian-East Timor Border Coordination committee.


2012 East Timorese presidential election, Violence
On 13 April, just before the second round, about 100 people were reported to have pelted Ruak's campaign headquarters with stones. More violence was reported over the burning of the homes of two "political supporters" and several campaign vehicles. National Police (PNTL) deputy commander Alfonso de Jesus said that due to the presence of police untoward incidents were not serious: "We had six police officers there but [if] straight away they are not respecting the police presence there then the group is using the opportunity to take stones and throw them at the office."


2012 East Timorese presidential election, Results
About 620,000 people out of a population of 1,100,000 are able to vote. There are 13 electoral districts in the country. Voting took place between 7:00 and 15:00 with no reports of untoward incidents. In at least one polling station that was monitored, the attendants unsealed the ballots delivered under United Nations Police protection. A high voter turnout was also recorded with some polling stations needing to use their reserve ballots.


2012 East Timorese presidential election, Results
Ermenegildo Lopes, the leader of the Bloku Ploklamador, said that his party's representatives indicated that no one would cross the 50% threshold to avoid a run-off. The AFP also said the election was "remarkably organised" in contrast to the pre-election violence in 2006. Ramos-Horta said of the election that "there has not been a single incidence of violence" and that he continues to believe the country is already ready to take control of its security.


2012 East Timorese presidential election, Results
The preliminary hand-counted result, broadcast live on RTTL, of over 70% of the votes indicated that Francisco Guterres was leading with 27.28% of the votes, followed by Taur Matan Ruak with 24.17% of the votes and incumbent president Jose Ramos-Horta followed with 19.43% of the votes (though Amaral had died, his name was still on the result notification issued by the election commission). Provisional results for the second round were scheduled to be announced within 48 hours of the polls closing, though they were announced a day earlier. Though the final result had to be certified by the Court of Appeals, Ruak had got 61.23% of the votes. Turnout was 72.1%.


2012 East Timorese presidential election, Reactions
Ramos-Horta said that he had no disappointment over the result and that both the leaders were capable enough of ensuring peace and stability, which was his primary concern. He also conceded defeat and added: "On the stroke of midnight on May 19 I will hand over leadership of the country to the new president, one of the two who are now going for a second round." Ruak's spokesman Fidelis Magalhães said after the second round that "we are very much elevated by the result, by the current outcome. We expect to see some changes [in the final count], minor, probably one or two percentage points, but without a clear swing or fluctuation of points."


2012 East Timorese presidential election, Reactions
Ameerah Haq, the UN secretary-general's special representative for East Timor, was reported to have said that if the presidential and parliamentary elections go off without incidents the UNMIT would leave the country.


2012 East Timorese presidential election, Analysis
Al Jazeera suggested that a win for Ruak would adversely effect FRETILIN's position in the parliamentary election by showing support for Gusmão's incumbent coalition. The Australian suggested that the voting patterns were indicative of a tough negotiation process, after the parliamentary election, to form a government, even harder than the previous appointment of Xanana Gusmão after the 2006 East Timorese crisis. It pointed to the 2007 election in indicating that Ramos-Horta and Taur Matan Ruak's current performance, if seen as proxy CNRT candidates, showed a strengthening of voted by two or three percentage points.


2012 East Timorese presidential election, Analysis
However, though, in the previous election Guiterres was unable to get more than three percent in between the two rounds signifying an inability to get third-party votes, in this election he gained 10 percent and the support of two minor parties. It also quoted the co-ordinator of the Timor-Leste Friendship Network/Deakin University Observer Mission Damien Kingsbury as saying Gusmão would be happier with the result than FRETILIN's leader Mari Alkatiri, who seeks to become prime minister again. To further complicate the government formation later in the year, The Australian also suggested that Fernando de Araujo's Democratic Party, which is a part of the coalition, is hindered by the poor relationship with Gusmão and that the Timorese Social Democratic Association has factionalised since the death of Amaral.


2012 East Timorese presidential election, Analysis
The Sydney Morning Herald attributed the result to personality politics. Analysing the voter returns, it suggested that supporters of the Democratic Party or Ramos-Horta voted for CNRT and sent a message to the party that it could lose its support base if it allied with FRETILIN. It similarly pointed out that while FRETILIN can consistently turn out plurality support, it is unable to gather majority support and that if FRETILIN had got a majority it would claim that Section 106 of the constitution the president would be obligated to choose a new prime minister from parliamentary support. The newspaper also said that compared to the previous election this one was "remarkably calm" with "few relatively minor disturbances compared."


2012 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team
The 2012 Eastern Illinois Panthers football team represented Eastern Illinois University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by first-year head coach Dino Babers and played their home games at O'Brien Stadium. They were a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). Eastern Illinois finished the season 7–5 overall and 6–1 in OVC play to be crowned conference champions. They earned the conference's automatic bid into the FCS Playoffs, where they lost in the first round to South Dakota State.


2012 Eastern Kentucky Colonels football team
The 2012 Eastern Kentucky Colonels football team represented Eastern Kentucky University during the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Dean Hood and played their home games at Roy Kidd Stadium. They were a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). Eastern Kentucky had an overall record of 8–3 with a 6–2 mark in OVC play to finish in a tie for second place.


2012 Eastern Kentucky Drillers season
The 2012 Eastern Kentucky Drillers season was the 2nd season for the United Indoor Football League franchise. The Drillers were able to finish the season with a 6-4 record, but suspended themselves from the playoffs for violating league rules.


2012 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team
The 2012 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team represented Eastern Michigan University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by fourth year head coach Ron English and played their home games at Rynearson Stadium. They are a member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference. They finished the season 2–10, 1–7 in MAC play to finish in last place in the West Division.


2012 Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds football team
The 2012 Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds football represents Eastern New Mexico University in the 2012 NCAA Division II football season as a member of the Lone Star Conference (LSC). Led by first-year head coach Josh Lynn, the Greyhounds finished the season 3–7 overall with a conference mark of 2–6, placing seventh.


2012 Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds football team, Previous season
Eastern New Mexico went winless, finishing 0–9 overall and 0–7 in conference play.


2012 Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds football team, Recruiting
Head coach Josh Lynn brought in 14 new recruits before the season started


2012 Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds football team, Preseaon
Eastern New Mexico was picked to finish 8th in the 2012 LSC preseason poll.


2012 Eastern Province Kings season
In 2012, the  Eastern Province Kings participated in the Currie Cup First Division and the Vodacom Cup. As part of the Southern Kings franchise, a number of players also participated in friendlies for this franchise.


2012 Eastern Province Kings season, Players, Movement matrix
This is a list of transfers involving Eastern Province Kings players between the end of the 2011 Currie Cup First Division and the end of the 2012 Currie Cup First Division.


2012 Eastern Province Kings season, Players, Movement matrix
Players listed are all players that were included in a 22-man matchday squad at any during the season.


2012 Eastern Province Kings season, Players, Movement matrix
(did not play) denotes that a player did not play at all during one of the two seasons due to injury or non-selection. These players are included to indicate they remained attached to the team.


2012 Eastern Province Kings season, Players, Movement matrix
Players might be used in different positions, but will be listed in their most common positions during the two seasons.


2012 Eastern Province Kings season, Vodacom Cup, Player Statistics
The following table shows players statistics for the 2012 Vodacom Cup season:


2012 Eastern Province Kings season, Currie Cup, Player Statistics
The following table shows players statistics for the 2012 Currie Cup First Division season (including promotion/relegation games):


2012 Eastern Province Kings season, Other
In addition to the Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup, the Eastern Province Kings also played one first class match against a South African Students side:


2012 Eastern Province Kings season, Under-21 Provincial Championship, Players
The following players played during the 2012 Under-21 Provincial Championship Division B season:


2012 Eastern Province Kings season, Under-19 Provincial Championship, Players
The following players played during the 2012 Under-19 Provincial Championship Division B season:


2012 Eastern Province Kings season, Southern Kings, Fixtures and Results
The Southern Kings played in several pre-season friendlies against other Super Rugby franchises.


2012 Eastern Province Kings season, Awards, SARU Awards
The Kings received the following nominations for the SARU awards:


2012 Eastern Province Kings season, Awards, EP Kings Awards
The following awards were given to players for the 2012 season:


2012 Eastern Washington Eagles football team
The 2012 Eastern Washington Eagles football team represented Eastern Washington University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The team was coached by Beau Baldwin, who was in his fifth season with Eastern Washington. The Eagles played their home games at Roos Field in Cheney, Washington and were a member of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 11–3, 7–1 in Big Sky play to share the conference championship with Cal Poly and Montana State. They received the Big Sky's automatic bid into the FCS Playoffs where they defeated Wagner in the second round and Illinois State in the quarterfinals before falling in the semifinals to Sam Houston State.


2012 Eastern Washington Eagles football team, Schedule
Despite also being a member of the Big Sky, the game against Cal Poly on November 3 was considered a non conference game and had no effect on the Big Sky standings.


2012 Eastern Washington Eagles football team, FCS Playoffs, Sam Houston State–FCS Semifinals
Only previous meeting was in the 2004 FCS Playoffs quarterfinals.


2012 Eastleigh Borough Council election
Elections to Eastleigh Council were held on 3 May 2012. 15 out of 44 council seats were up for election and the Liberal Democrat party kept overall control of the council.


2012 East–West Shrine Game
The 2012 East–West Shrine Game was the 87th staging of the all-star college football exhibition game featuring NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision players and a few select invitees from Canadian university football. The game featured over 100 players from the 2011 college football season, and prospects for the 2012 Draft of the professional National Football League (NFL). In the week prior to the game, scouts from all 32 NFL teams attended. The proceeds from the East-West Shrine Game benefit Shriners Hospitals for Children. Brad Childress and Bobby Ross were named coaches on December 19, 2011.


2012 East–West Shrine Game
This oldest all-star game was played on January 21, 2012, at 4 p.m. ET at the Tropicana Field. The radio broadcast team was Patrick Kinas and Brian Jordan in the radio booth, and Rick Berkey reporting from the sidelines. The Pat Tillman Award was presented to Tauren Poole (RB, Tennessee) as a player who "best exemplifies character, intelligence, sportsmanship and service".


2012 Echo Klassik Awards
The 2012 Echo Klassik Awards were held on October 14, 2012. It is the 20th edition of the annual Echo Klassik awards for classical music. The ceremony took place in the Konzerthaus Berlin and was broadcast on ZDF. It was hosted by Nina Eichinger and Rolando Villazón and organised by The German Music Industry Association.


2012 Ecuadorian protests
The 2012 Ecuadorian protests was a series of demonstrations by indigenous peoples who oppose the copper mining concessions in the province of Zamora-Chinchipe. On 22 March, the protesters reached the capital Quito to be met with counter protesters and warnings from the government and President Rafael Correa.


2012 Ecuadorian protests, Background
The protests commenced in part due to an agreement between Ecuador and China's for a 25-year investment contract of US$1.4 billion (£900m) El Pangui for an open-cast industrial copper mining concession in the southeastern Amazonian region, including the province of Zamora-Chinchipe. The march took place against Canada's Corriente Resources' Ecuacorriente's Mirador copper mine in Yantzaza.


2012 Ecuadorian protests, Background
CONAIE, the umbrella organisation leading the protest march, claim to represent a third of Ecuador's 14 million population. CONAIE also supported Correa in the 2006 election when he won his first term, as well as many of his programmes; however they later accused him of favouring free market policies in disregards of his original intentions. In the past their protests have led to the removals of presidents Abdalá Bucaram in 1997 and Jamil Mahuad in 2000.


2012 Ecuadorian protests, Background, Parallels
Similarly, in August 2011, protesters in Bolivia began a cross-country march against fellow pink tide President Evo Morales' initiative to build the Villa Tunari – San Ignacio de Moxos Highway through the Isiboro Sécure National Park and Indigenous Territory. CONAIE also sent Morales a letter of concern.


2012 Ecuadorian protests, Goals
Humberto Cholango, the head of CONAIE, said that the protest did not seek to oust President Rafael Correa, but only to seek the passing of laws to protect water resources and consultation with indigenous groups over future mining projects. CONAIE also said that many people would be forced off their land. They also claimed the policy would lead to more mining concessions. The protesters also seek Congress' denunciation of what they called the "criminalisation of social protest," the collection of new taxes and for the removal of "some" civil servants.


2012 Ecuadorian protests, Protest march
The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), supported by some opposition parties and student and teachers' unions, organised the cross-country march starting from El Pangui, Zamora-Chinchipe. Several hundred indigenous Ecuadorians took part in the first stage in protest against the mining concessions in the Amazon basin, which they said would lead to environmental degradation and threaten their livelihoods. The organisers planned to cross several provinces before ending in Quito, on 22 March after the 700 kilometre march. On 22 March, about 1,000 of the indigenous protesters entered Quito from the south with a giant rainbow flag. CONAIE's Humberto Cholango said that they had not "come to destabilise."


2012 Ecuadorian protests, Protest march, Counter-protest
Nearly 10,000 Correa supporters were called out outside the presidential palace in Quito on 8 February to show their support for the president. As the protesters reached Quito on 22 March, the government of Ecuador called for guarding against a coup d'état. Correa spoke to his supporters, 500 of whom were indigenous protesters entering Quito from the north:


2012 Ecuadorian protests, Protest march, Counter-protest
We will never talk to the corrupt right, with the liars! [ The indigenous should not] be used. We know that mining is necessary for modern life. As well as the raw materials, we need the revenue so that we can care for handicapped people, pay for social security, build roads. These are the best negotiated contracts ever in world history. We got as much out of them as was possible.


2012 Ecuadorian protests, Responses
Zamora-Chinchipe's governor, Salvador Quishpe, said of the protesters planned expansion route that: "People are very motivated, there will always be more people in each village."


2012 Ecuadorian protests, Responses
President Rafael Correa alleged that CONAIE sought to destabilise his government, while claiming the protest march would be a "resounding failure." He also claimed the mine would help fund other development projects as roads, schools and hospitals. Meanwhile, he also called for further mobilisations til 22 March saying: "Resist peacefully, on March 8 we will gather in Independence Square and say, 'Here we are and this revolution does not stop anything or anyone!'"


2012 Edinburgh International
The 2012 Edinburgh International was held from November 8 to 11 at the Murrayfield Curling Club in Edinburgh, Scotland as part of the 2012–13 Curling Champions Tour. The event was held in a round robin format, and the purse for the event was GBP£10,000, of which the winner, Tom Brewster, received GBP£4,000. Brewster defeated John Jahr of Germany in the final with a score of 3–2.


2012 Edmonton Eskimos season
The 2012 Edmonton Eskimos season was the 55th season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 64th overall. The Eskimos finished in 4th place in the West Division with a 7–11 record but still managed to make the playoffs for the second straight season via the CFL's "crossover" rule. The Eskimos played the Toronto Argonauts in the East Semi-Final and lost 42–26.


2012 Edmonton Eskimos season, Offseason, CFL Draft
The 2012 CFL Draft took place on May 3, 2012 live at 1:00 PM MDT. The Eskimos had five selections in the six-round draft, including two in the first round after trading Ricky Ray to the Toronto Argonauts.


2012 Edmonton Eskimos season, Offseason, Notable transactions
*Later traded to the BC Lions**Later traded to the Calgary Stampeders***Later traded back to the Saskatchewan Roughriders


2012 Edmonton Eskimos season, Regular season, Season schedule
The Edmonton Eskimos clinched a playoff game against the Toronto Argonauts with an Argonauts victory and a Hamilton Tiger-Cats the night before, allowing the Eskimos team to cross-over into the East Divisional Playoffs. The Eskimos would go on to lose against the same Argonauts team that allowed them to clinch the last playoff spot in the CFL during the 2012 CFL season. Had the Hamilton Tiger-Cats beat the Toronto Argonauts lost, the Eskimos final game against Calgary on November 2 would have been a game where they needed to win or tie to clinch a playoff berth.


2012 Edmonton Indy
The  2012 Edmonton Indy was the eleventh round of the 2012 IndyCar Series season. It took place on Sunday, July 22, 2012. The race was contested over 75 laps at the 2.224-mile (3.579 km) temporary airport course at Edmonton City Centre Airport in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.


2012 Edmonton Indy, Classification, Race results
Points include 1 point for pole position and 2 points for most laps led.


2012 Edmonton Rush season
The Edmonton Rush are a lacrosse team based in Edmonton playing in the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The 2012 season was the 7th in franchise history. The Rush had a tough regular season, starting 2-7 before gaining momentum in the second half. They finished 6-10 but made the playoffs. In the playoffs, however, everything changed as the Rush beat both the Calgary Roughnecks and Minnesota Swarm in dominating performances, before losing to the Rochester Knighthawks 9-6 in the championship game.


2012 Edmonton Rush season
The Rush made a number of significant moves in the off-season, most notably trading captain Brodie Merrill, Dean Hill, and Mike McLellan to Philadelphia for Athan Iannucci, Alex Turner, and Brodie McDonald as well as first-round draft picks in three future drafts. They also picked up Kyle Rubisch and Ryan Dilks from the Boston Blazers dispersal draft, and Shawn Williams, Aaron Wilson, Chris Corbeil, Aaron Bold, and Kevin Croswell in other trades. This is also the first out 6 consecutive seasons in the playoffs.


2012 Edmonton Rush season, Regular season, Conference standings
x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games PlayedW: Wins; L: Losses; GB: Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowedDifferential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game


2012 Edmonton Rush season, Transactions, Trades
*Later traded to the Buffalo Bandits**Later traded to the Minnesota Swarm***Later traded to the Washington Stealth****Later traded to the Calgary Roughnecks


2012 Edmonton Rush season, Transactions, Dispersal Draft
The Rush chose the following players in the Boston Blazers dispersal draft:


2012 Edmonton Rush season, Transactions, Entry Draft
The 2011 NLL Entry Draft took place on September 21, 2011. The Rush drafted the following player:


2012 Edo State gubernatorial election
The 2012 Edo State gubernatorial election occurred in Nigeria on July 14, 2012. The ACN nominee Adams Oshiomhole won for a second term, defeating Charles Airhiavbere of the PDP.


2012 Edo State gubernatorial election
Adams Oshiomhole emerged ACN after he was returned as the sole candidate. He picked Pius Odubu as his running mate. Charles Airhiavbere was the PDP candidate.


2012 Edo State gubernatorial election, Electoral system
The Governor of Edo State is elected using the plurality voting system.


2012 Edo State gubernatorial election, Primary election, ACN primary
Adams Oshiomhole won the primary election after he emerged unopposed.


2012 Edo State gubernatorial election, Primary election, PDP primary
The PDP primary election was held on February 5, 2012. Charles Airhiavbere emerged PDP flag bearer.


2012 Edo State gubernatorial election, Results
A total number of 7 candidates registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission to contest in the election.


2012 Edo State gubernatorial election, Results
The total number of 667,993 voters were accredited while total number of votes cast was 647,698.


2012 Edo State gubernatorial election, Results, By local government area
Here are the results of the election by local government area for the two major parties. 7 political parties participated in the election. Blue represents LGAs won by Adams Oshiomhole. Green represents LGAs won by Charles Airhiavbere.


2012 Egyptian Shura Council election
Shura Council elections were held in Egypt between 29 January and 22 February 2012. The Freedom and Justice Party emerged as the largest party in the council, winning 105 of the 180 elected seats.


2012 Egyptian Shura Council election, Background
Parliamentary elections were held in late 2010 and were followed by controversy and repression as well as accusations of fraud.


2012 Egyptian Shura Council election, Background
Following similar events in Tunisia during the Arab Spring, Egyptian activists called for protesters to turn up in cities around Egypt on various specially-designated days of rages. Though violence was reported at some points, protests were largely peaceful with the army staying quiet until 10 February 2011, when calls for Hosni Mubarak to resign were at their peak. The following day, Vice President Omar Suleiman announced Mubarak's resignation from the presidency while turning power over to the military. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, headed by Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi would lead the country for a transitional period until a civilian government takes over.


2012 Egyptian Shura Council election, Electoral system
At the time of the election the Shura Council had 270 seats, of which 90 were appointed and 180 elected. Of the 180 elected seats, 60 were elected by majority voting in single-member constituencies, and 120 by proportional representation based on the total number of votes cast in the constituencies. Voting was compulsory, with a potential £20 fine for non-voters.


2012 Egyptian Shura Council election, Electoral system
Party lists had to include at least one woman candidate, and had to pass a 0.5% electoral threshold to win a proportional representation seat. For the constituency seats, candidates were required to win over 50% of the vote and for there to be either a farmer or worker elected from their constituency in order to be elected in the first round.


2012 Egyptian Shura Council election, Electoral system
Run-offs would be when no candidate won over 50% of the vote in a constituency, and in cases where two candidates achieved over 50%, but neither of them were workers or farmers, the candidate with the highest number of votes would be declared elected, and a run-off held between the highest ranking workers and farmers.


2012 Egyptian Shura Council election, Electoral system
The elections were held in two stages; a first stage on 29 and 30 January, with run-offs on 5 and 6 February, and a second stage on 14 and 15 February, with run-offs on 21 and 22 February. There were originally plans to hold the elections in three stages, with the third stage taking place on 4–5 March and run-offs on 11–12 March, but in early January 2012, the election process was sped up to shorten the transition period.


2012 Egyptian Shura Council election, Campaign
The liberal Free Egyptians Party announced a boycott of the elections, complaining about irregularities during the preceding parliamentary elections and denouncing the Shura Council elections as a "waste of time".


2012 Egyptian Shura Council election, Results
The first phase included the governorates of Alexandria, Asyut, Cairo, Dakahlia, Damietta, Faiyum, Gharbia, Monufia, New Valley, North Sinai, Qena, Red Sea and South Sinai. Voter turnout for the first phase was at 15%, while turnout for its run-off was down to 6%.


2012 Egyptian Shura Council election, Results
The polls of the second phase were held in Giza, Sharqiya, Kafr el-Sheikh, Qalyubia, Aswan, Sohag, Luxor, Beni Suef, Minya, Matrouh, Beheira, Suez, Ismailia and Port Said. The turnout in the second phase on 14–15 February was at 12.2%. According to the Higher Elections Commission, 3 million out of around 25 million eligible voters cast their votes. The number of invalid votes was 252,899.


2012 Egyptian Shura Council election, Aftermath
During the first Shura Council session on 28 February 2012, FJP member Ahmed Fahmy was elected speaker.


2012 Egyptian constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in Egypt in two rounds on 15 and 22 December 2012. Egyptians living abroad were scheduled to vote between 8 and 11 December. Voting for expatriates had been delayed until 12 December 2012 and was extended until 17 December 2012. Voters were asked whether they approve of the draft constitution that was approved by the Constituent Assembly on 30 November 2012.


2012 Egyptian constitutional referendum
Unofficial results reported on 23 December 2012 found that 32.9% of the electorate voted and that the constitution was approved with 63.8% of the vote in favor over the two rounds of polling.


2012 Egyptian constitutional referendum
During the campaign, supporters of the draft constitution argued that the constitution would provide stability. Most opponents argued that the constitution was too favorable to the Muslim Brotherhood, and did not grant sufficient minority rights. However, some extreme Salafists also opposed the constitution, arguing that it should have been based more closely on Sharia law.


2012 Egyptian constitutional referendum
The supreme committee for supervising the constitution referendum was formed on 3 December 2012. Mohammad Salim Al-Awa stated that a new Constituent Assembly would be formed within three months through general elections if the draft Constitution was voted down. The new assembly would have six months to write the new constitution. The general secretary of the constitution referendum supreme committee resigned for health reasons.


2012 Egyptian constitutional referendum, Background
The Constituent Assembly was originally elected by Parliament in March 2012, before being dissolved by a court in April after it was deemed unconstitutional. A second Assembly was elected by Parliament during the summer. The second Constituent Assembly produced on 30 November 2012 a 234 article draft constitution, after it approved each article individually during a 19-hour meeting starting on 29 November.


2012 Egyptian constitutional referendum, Background, Judicial response
Egyptian Judges Club members agreed to boycott the referendum. However the decisions of the club are non-binding on its members. Judge Mohamed Awad, who is a member of the Judges for Egypt reform movement, said that 90 percent of judges would monitor the referendum. Mohamed Gadallah, the legal adviser to the Egyptian president, stated that Egypt's Supreme Judicial Council would oversee the referendum. The judges that were on strike responded that the Supreme Judicial Council decision was not final and that judges could individually refuse to participate.


2012 Egyptian constitutional referendum, Contents
The draft constitution ended Egypt's all-powerful presidency, instituted a stronger parliament, and contained provisions against torture or detention without trial. But it also gave Egypt's generals much of the power and privilege they had during the Hosni Mubarak era. Human Rights Watch noted that it provided for basic protections against arbitrary detention and torture and for some economic rights, but failed to end military trials of civilians or to protect freedom of expression and religion.


2012 Egyptian constitutional referendum, Contents
The organization also stated that the Chapter II draft, entitled Rights and Freedoms, provided for strong protection against arbitrary detention in article 35 and torture and inhumane treatment in article 36, and for freedom of movement in article 42, privacy of communication in article 38, freedom of assembly in article 50, and of association in article 51, but deferred to objections from the country's military leadership and removed the clear prohibition of trials of civilians before military courts.


2012 Egyptian constitutional referendum, Contents
Article 2, defining the relationship between Islam and Egyptian law, remained essentially unchanged from Egypt's old constitution. The new charter said that the legal code stems from "the principles of Islamic law,” wording that is broad enough to allow for individual rights and freedoms. But in an attempted compromise between the ultraconservatives and their liberal opponents, the proposed constitution added a new article defining those principles in accordance with established schools of Sunni Muslim thought.


2012 Egyptian constitutional referendum, Contents
Article 50 preserved the right to assembly but required "notification" of such gatherings. The constitution called for freedom from discrimination, but did not specify whether women or religious minorities were protected. A provision on women's equality was left out to avoid a dispute after ultraconservatives insisted that women's equality should be qualified by compliance with religious laws. One article that passed pertained to arbitrary arrest and detention rights. The article said that no person may be "arrested, searched, incarcerated, deprived of freedom in any way and/or confined“ unless it is ordered by a "competent judge".


2012 Egyptian constitutional referendum, Contents
Another article stipulated that anyone jailed must be told why in writing within 12 hours, and the case must go to investigators within 24 hours. Detainees cannot be interrogated without their attorney or one appointed to them being present, the article also stated. Phone conversations, electronic correspondence and other communication cannot be listened to without a warrant.


2012 Egyptian constitutional referendum, Contents
The new constitution limited the President to two four-year terms, marking a clear shift away from the era of Mubarak, who ruled for 30 years. But other checks on presidential power remained ill-defined. The defense minister would be chosen from the military's officers. Insulating the armed forces from parliamentary oversight, a special council that included military officers would oversee military affairs and the defense budget.


2012 Egyptian constitutional referendum, Contents
Ziad al-Ali of the International Institute for Democratic and Electoral Assistance noted that another article in the document called for the election of local councils in each province but kept all the power in the hands of federally appointed governors. And even though Egypt's pervasive public corruption was a major complaint by those who forced Hosni Mubarak from power, the assembly declined to borrow any international models to promote transparency, Ali said. "There won't be a huge improvement in the way government works and the way services are delivered, and that is a setback for democracy."


2012 Egyptian constitutional referendum, Campaign, Supporters
The Al Nour Party and the Building and Development Party supported the draft constitution because it would provide stability. Workers unions, many of which are dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood, have stated that they support the draft constitution. Mohamed Mostafa, the spokesperson of Al-Azhar, is in favor of the draft constitution. The Safety and Development Party accused the judges who were boycotting the referendum of undermining stability. The Freedom and Justice Party launched a campaign urging a yes vote on the draft constitution.


2012 Egyptian constitutional referendum, Campaign, Opponents
Women's rights activists opposed the draft constitution on the grounds that the exclusion of explicit women's rights in the draft constitution opened the door to changes in women's rights. The People's Representatives Coalition opposed the draft constitution, launching an awareness campaign entitled "Reject your constitution". The Salafi Jihadi Movement boycotted the draft constitution because it "does not apply Islamic Sharia". They stated that they were trying to convince other Islamists, such as the Muslim Brotherhood, to vote no on the draft constitution as well.


2012 Egyptian constitutional referendum, Campaign, Opponents
The National Salvation Front called for a no vote on the draft constitution. They put forth a number of conditions, which included: free and fair elections, holding the vote on one day, supervision of the vote, protection for polling places, and immediate announcement of voting results at polling places. If the demands were not met, they asked voters to vote no. Baha'a Anwar, a spokesperson for the Shi'a in Egypt, stated that Shi'a would not take part in the referendum. Sufi Sheikh Aboul Azayem opposed the draft constitution, arguing that it was only favorable towards the Muslim Brotherhood. Egyptian journalists opposed the draft constitution because they believed it would limit freedom of expression.


2012 Egyptian constitutional referendum, Campaign, Opponents
The Strong Egypt Party announced that it would launch a no vote campaign on the draft constitution. The Egyptian Current Party has asked voters to vote no on the constitution. The Egyptian Popular Current announced it would vote no on the constitution. The Egyptian Social Democratic Party said the same. The Constitution Party also encouraged a no vote on the draft constitution. The Free Egyptians Party boycotted the vote.


2012 Egyptian constitutional referendum, Campaign, Opponents
The Hazemoun movement, made up of followers of Hazem Salah Abu Ismail, a Salafi preacher, came out against the draft constitution. The Salafi Front also opposed the draft constitution, arguing that the constitution should have made Sharia itself the main source of legislation, not the principles. They also argued that Christians and Jews should be governed by Islamic law and that the constitution should have stated that "divine authority"  is the source of power not the people. In addition, Coptic Christians also opposed the draft constitution, walking out of the constitution drafting session and prompting Khaled Dawoud, a spokesman of National Salvation Front, to state, "this is probably the first time in our history that the Christians were not present in writing the constitution".


2012 Egyptian constitutional referendum, Reactions
After the referendum, President Mohamed Morsi said in a speech on television that the Egyptians voting against the constitutional referendum were within their rights, "because Egypt of the revolution – Egypt's people and its elected president – can never feel annoyed by the active patriotic opposition. We don't want to go back to the era of the one opinion and fabricated fake majorities."


2012 Egyptian constitutional referendum, Reactions
With regard to the referendum, Morsi went on to add that "there have been mistakes here and there, and I bear responsibility", but that "no matter what the hardships of the past [were], I see it as the pain of birthing the new Egypt ... It is truly the dawn of [a] new Egypt, which has risen and is now shining."


2012 Egyptian constitutional referendum, Reactions
In a response to the referendum, the United States Department of State issued a statement noting that "[m]any Egyptians have voiced deep concerns about the substance of the constitution and the constitutional process" and further stating that "President Morsi, as the democratically elected leader of Egypt, has a special responsibility to move forward in a way that recognizes the urgent need to bridge divisions, build trust, and broaden support for the political process."


2012 Egyptian presidential debate
The 2012 Egyptian presidential debate was the first-ever presidential debate held in Egyptian history as well as the first in any Arabic-speaking nation-state. Held in preparation for the upcoming presidential election, it was held between presidential candidates Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh (independent, endorsed by Al-Nour Party, moderate Islamic Al-Wasat Party and Egyptian Current Party) and Amr Moussa (independent). It was broadcast live on ONtv on May 10, 2012 and moderated by Yosri Fouda of ONTV and Mona el-Shazly of Dream TV. The format was developed for ONTV by an Egyptian company: Belail Media Production and Consulting.


2012 Egyptian presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Egypt in 2012, with the first round on 23 and 24 May 2012 and the second on 16 and 17 June. The 2012 Egyptian Presidential election was the first and so far the only democratic presidential election of Egypt’s history. The Muslim Brotherhood declared early 18 June 2012, that its candidate, Mohamed Morsi, won Egypt's presidential election, which would be the first victory of an Islamist as head of state in the Arab world.


2012 Egyptian presidential election
It was the second presidential election in Egypt's history with more than one candidate, following the 2005 election, and the first presidential election after the 2011 Egyptian revolution which ousted president Hosni Mubarak, during the Arab Spring. However, Morsi's presidency was brief and short-lived, and he later faced massive protests for and against his rule, only to be ousted in a military coup in July that year.


2012 Egyptian presidential election
In the first round, with a voter turnout of 46%, the results were split between five major candidates: Mohamed Morsi (25%), Ahmed Shafik (24%), Hamdeen Sabahi (21%), Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh (17%), and Amr Moussa (11%), with the remaining 2% split between several other candidates. The elections set the stage for the divisions that were to follow, along sharia and secular lines, and those opposed to and those supporting the former political elite. Islamist candidates Morsi and Fotouh won roughly 42% of the vote, while the remaining three secular candidates won 56% of the vote. Candidates Shafik and Moussa held positions under the Mubarak regime and won 35% of the vote, while Sabahi was a prominent dissident during the Sadat and Mubarak regimes.


2012 Egyptian presidential election
Following the second round, with a voter turnout of 52%, on 24 June 2012, Egypt's election commission announced that Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi had won Egypt's presidential elections. Morsi won by a narrow margin over Ahmed Shafik, the final prime minister under deposed President Hosni Mubarak. The commission said Morsi took 51.7% of the vote versus 48.3% for Shafik. Morsi was sworn in on 30 June 2012.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Rules
The rules for the election were released on 30 January 2012. Candidates had to be born in Egypt to Egyptian parents, may not have held dual nationality and may not have been married to a foreigner. To be nominated, they required the support of 30 Members of Parliament or 30,000 voters. According to the electoral committee, the formal registration process for candidates started on 10 March and ended on 8 April 2012 at 2 pm.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Qualified candidates
23 candidates officially registered to contest the elections. The Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission (SPEC) was expected to release the list of candidates who fulfil the legal requirements and are eligible for the presidency on 26 April.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Qualified candidates
On 14 April 2012, the Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission (SPEC) announced the disqualification of ten candidates: Omar Suleiman, Khairat El-Shater, Hazem Salah Abu Ismail, Ayman Nour, Ahmad Awad Al-Saidi, Mortada Mansour, Ibrahim El-Gharib, Mamdouh Qutb, Houssam Khayrat, and Ashraf Barouma. Reasons for the disqualifications were not given, but the affected candidates were given 48 hours to appeal the decisions. Abu Ismail, El-Shater, and Suleiman's campaigns stated they would file appeals. All appeals were rejected.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Qualified candidates
On 23 April, the SCAF ratified the Corruption of Political Life Law (aka the Disenfranchisement Law), which was passed by the People's Assembly on 12 April. The new law stipulated that any individual who served as President of the Republic, vice president, prime minister, or a high-ranking NDP official during the ten years prior to 11 February 2011 (day of Hosni Mubarak's resignation) would not be eligible to run or hold public office for ten years, effective 11 February 2011. The law disqualified presidential hopefuls Ahmed Shafik (prime minister) and Omar Suleiman (vice-president), but did not exclude Amr Mussa.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Qualified candidates
On 25 April the Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission (SPEC) accepted the appeal filed by Ahmed Shafik against its previous decision to exclude him from running for president. Therefore, a total of 13 candidates were left standing in SPEC's final list. The appeal also requested the new Parliamentary law be brought before the Supreme Constitutional Court to determine its constitutionality.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Qualified candidates
On 16 May 2012, Mohammad Fawzi Issa announced his withdrawal from the race in support of Amr Moussa. His name however was not removed from the ballot paper as the official date of withdrawal had already passed.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Qualified candidates, Mohamed Morsi
Mohamed Morsi was the chairman of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), a political party that was founded by the Muslim Brotherhood after the 2011 Egyptian revolution, since 30 April 2011. He was a Member of Parliament from 2000 to 2005.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Qualified candidates, Mohamed Morsi
Morsi received a bachelor's and master's degree in engineering from Cairo University in 1975 and 1978. He received his PhD in engineering from the University of Southern California in 1982. He was an assistant professor at California State University, Northridge from 1982 to 1985. In 1985 he went back to Egypt to teach at Zagazig University.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Qualified candidates, Mohamed Morsi
Kairat El-Shater had been put forward as candidate, but he was excluded from the race. As a replacement, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt fielded Mohamed Morsi, chairman of the Freedom and Justice Party, he faced Ahmed Shafik in a run-off vote on 16–17 June 2012.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Qualified candidates, Mohamed Morsi
On 24 June 2012, Egypt's election commission announced that Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi has won Egypt's presidential runoff. Morsi won by a narrow margin over Ahmed Shafik, the last prime minister under deposed leader Hosni Mubarak. The commission said Morsi took 51.7 percent of the vote versus 48.3 for Shafik.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Qualified candidates, Ahmed Shafik
Ahmed Shafik officially launched his presidential campaign on 2 November 2011. He was the last Prime Minister appointed by Hosni Mubarak after the beginning of the 2011 revolution in January. He resigned only three weeks after the deposition of the long-term president. Shafik claims to be on good terms with the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Qualified candidates, Ahmed Shafik
Shafik was first disqualified in the wake of the ratification of the Corruption of Political Life Law (aka the Disenfranchisement Law), which banned Mubarak-era PMs from nomination. He immediately appealed the decision and on 25 April the Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission (SPEC) accepted his appeal, which puts him back in the race.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Qualified candidates, Ahmed Shafik
Shafik collected 48.3 percent of the vote in the presidential runoff.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Qualified candidates, Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh
Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, a doctor by practice and a former Muslim Brotherhood figure popular with Egyptian youths, declared his candidacy in May 2011. He was expelled from the Brotherhood for this decision on 20 June of that year, as it contradicted an earlier decision that the Brotherhood would not put forward a candidate in 2011. The Muslim Brotherhood contradicted their initial position on 31 March 2012 when they put forward Khairat El-Shater as the Brotherhood's candidate and Mohamed Morsi as his replacement.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Qualified candidates, Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh
Aboul Fotouh is well known for his staunch opposition to both the Sadat and Mubarak regimes, as well as his openness towards people of different political views. He was detained once during Sadat's rule and twice during Mubarak's rule. He promised to appoint a vice-president who is a youth revolutionary and to fill over half of the country's important posts with people under the age of 45.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Qualified candidates, Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh
Despite coming from the moderate-to-liberal wing of the Islamist movement, Aboul Fotouh won the endorsement of the Salafi Al-Nour Party on 28 April 2012.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Qualified candidates, Khaled Ali
Khaled Ali announced his campaign on 27 February 2012 and applied for election on 8 April 2012 as an independent, with the support of 32 elected officials in both chambers of parliament. At 40 years old, he was the youngest candidate to enter the race. Ali is a prominent Egyptian lawyer and activist, known for his work advocating reform of corruption in the government and private sector and his promotion of social justice and labor rights. Al-Ahram Weekly called him a "legendary anti-corruption crusader", and CounterPunch described him as "Egypt’s best-known counselor and defender of independent unions and worker protests." In 2011 he won the "Egyptian Corruption Fighter" award.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Qualified candidates, Khaled Ali
Many of Ali's supporters saw him as filling the void left by Mohamed ElBaradei's withdrawal. Ali was not well known to the majority of Egyptians, and even those familiar with him tended to be surprised by his decision to run. Ali's lack of experience as a politician was a concern, and many, even in the revolutionary movement, remained skeptical about his candidacy. Critics argued that he was unlikely to win, and expressed concern that he could split the vote in a way that would sway the election towards representatives of the prior regime.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Qualified candidates, Khaled Ali
Socialist Popular Alliance Party and Egyptian Socialists members told Egypt Independent that they are seriously considering backing Ali's candidacy. "Up until now, the situation is unclear. Khaled may be our choice. Some are proposing a potential partnership between Khaled Ali and Abouel Fotouh [where Ali can run as his deputy]," said Marwa Farouk, a member of the Popular Alliance.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Qualified candidates, Mohammed Salim Al-Awa
Mohammad Salim Al-Awa, an Islamic thinker, declared his candidacy on 14 June 2011. The fact that Al-Awa and Aboul Fotouh belong to the same school of thought have led to press speculation about vote-splitting and the possibility of their uniting behind a single candidate. Aboul Fotouh recognized this possibility.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Qualified candidates, Hisham Bastawisy
Hisham Bastawisy is an Egyptian judge and the vice president of the Egyptian Court of Cassation. He was one of the leaders of the Egyptian opposition before and during the 2011 Egyptian revolution. He is running for the Egyptian presidential elections as a representative of the National Progressive Unionist Party (Tagammu).


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Qualified candidates, Abu Al-Izz Al-Hariri
Abu Al-Izz Al-Hariri is an Alexandria MP representing the Socialist Popular Alliance Party and The Revolution Continues Alliance. He filed his application on 13 March 2012.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Qualified candidates, Amr Moussa
When asked about the rumors that he might run for the 2012 presidential elections, Amr Moussa refused to rule out the possibility of running for the office, leaving the door open to expectations. He argued that, "It's the right of every citizen that has the capacity and efficiency to aspire to any political office that would allow him to contribute to the service of his nation".


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Qualified candidates, Amr Moussa
He further stated to the press that the qualities required of the president also apply to Gamal Mubarak, arguing that the citizenship, rights and obligations which apply to himself can also be applied to Gamal. He also expressed appreciation for "the confidence expressed by many people when they talk about his candidacy for the Egyptian presidency, and expressed that the message reached him. ".


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Qualified candidates, Amr Moussa
On 27 February 2011 he announced he would be running for president saying "God willing, I will be one of them."


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Qualified candidates, Hamdeen Sabahi
Hamdeen Sabahi, the leader of the Nasserist Dignity Party officially filed his application on 6 April 2012. He would later run for the presidency again two years later in the 2014 presidential election against Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, although the latter won a landslide victory, in an election described as a sham by 14 human rights groups who dismissed the results as "farcical". They said the authorities had "trampled over even the minimum requirements for free and fair elections", stifling basic freedoms and eliminating key challengers.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Disqualified candidates, Hazem Salah Abu Ismail
Hazem Salah Abu Ismail is an independent, ultra-conservative Salafi Islamist lawyer and politician.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Disqualified candidates, Hazem Salah Abu Ismail
He rejects the idea of reconciling the religious law of Islam with personal freedom. He announced to make wearing the veil mandatory for Egyptian women in case of being elected. He would ban the consumption of alcohol in public, even for tourists. Abu Ismail advocates the closure of gambling casinos, which are currently reserved for foreign visitors. Tourists wearing two-piece swimsuits should be arrested, according to Abu Ismail. Moreover, he calls for the abolishment of the Shura Council, which is the upper house of the Egyptian parliament.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Disqualified candidates, Hazem Salah Abu Ismail
By 28 March, Abu Ismail had collected 150,000 signatures supporting his candidacy. He was endorsed by 58 members of parliament, the Salafist Scholars Shura Council, and the Salafist Front.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Disqualified candidates, Hazem Salah Abu Ismail
On 11 April, the State Council decided that the Ministry of Interior is obliged to provide documents verifying the nationality of the candidate's mother. Thus, he would fail the premise that candidates, their spouses and their parents must hold exclusive Egyptian citizenship. Abu Ismail denies the ministry's assertion and insists that his mother was exclusively Egyptian. The threat to Abu Ismail's candidacy has triggered protests by his supporters.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Disqualified candidates, Hazem Salah Abu Ismail
As of 14 April 2012, Abu-Ismail had been barred from the election by the Presidential Election Commission. He had been given 48 hours to appeal the decision.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Disqualified candidates, Ayman Nour
Ayman Nour is the founder of Al-Ghad Party, leader of the Ghad El-Thawra Party and former candidate in the 2005 presidential elections in which he emerged as runner-up to the winning President Hosni Mubarak.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Disqualified candidates, Ayman Nour
Ayman Nour was jailed in 2006 few months after the presidential elections when he was convicted in charges of forgery. He was later removed from the presidency of Al-Ghad Party. In February 2009, he was released from prison under an amnesty due to health reasons. It has been alleged that his release from prison was due to US President Barack Obama demanding his release as a condition to meet with Mubarak.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Disqualified candidates, Ayman Nour
Ayman Nour's ability to candidate was doubtful, because of being an ex-convict and a former prisoner. However, he was pardoned by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and is thus not longer banned from political activity but eligible for the presidency. Nour was also barred from running for the presidency by the Presidential Election Commission.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Disqualified candidates, Khairat El-Shater
After initially deciding not to field a candidate, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt announced on 31 March 2012 that its deputy supreme guide Khairat El-Shater would run in the election.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Disqualified candidates, Khairat El-Shater
El-Shater, who was convicted and imprisoned for several years during the rule of Mubarak, might be excluded from the race due to the ban of ex-convicts from political activity. The ruling military council had pardoned him, but a case was filed to eliminate him from the election, because the pardon has not been endorsed by a criminal court. The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt fielded Mohamed Morsi, chairman of the Freedom and Justice Party, as an alternative candidate in case El-Shater's candidacy was invalidated.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Disqualified candidates, Khairat El-Shater
As of 14 April 2012, El-Shater has been barred from the election by the Presidential Election Commission. His campaign has stated that they would appeal the decision.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Disqualified candidates, Omar Suleiman
General Omar Suleiman, who was director of the General Intelligence Service and in 2011 shortly the last vice president under ousted President Hosni Mubarak, announced his candidacy on 6 April 2012.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Disqualified candidates, Omar Suleiman
As of 14 April 2012, Suleiman has been barred from the election by the Presidential Election Commission. His campaign appealed the decision but was rejected.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Disqualified candidates, Omar Suleiman
He left the country, reportedly going to Abu Dhabi, then to Germany, then finally to the United States for treatment. He died suddenly on 19 July 2012 while having medical tests done in Cleveland, Ohio. His body was taken home for burial. He was given a military funeral.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Withdrawn candidates, Mohamed ElBaradei
In November 2009 amidst the political controversy over the then prospective 2011 presidential election and the constitutional impediments placed in the faces of candidates under the amended Article 76 in the 2007 constitution and amidst speculation about then-president Hosni Mubarak's son Gamal running for the post, Mohamed ElBaradei decided to respond to the continuous pressing from people who asked him to run for the 2011 election. ElBaradei said in a statement sent from his office in Vienna to Al-Shorouk newspaper that "He did not announce willingness or unwillingness to participate in the upcoming presidential election... and that he will clear his position on the presidency after November". His office manager added:


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Withdrawn candidates, Mohamed ElBaradei
Dr. ElBaradei is the Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency until the end of November. Therefore, he is currently devoted to his work and to address the important issues and topics that need to be addressed by the IAEA. So he did not take any decision regarding his future which will be decided in light of developments of the next phase.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Withdrawn candidates, Mohamed ElBaradei
At the same time, the New Wafd Party and other opposition political forces have announced that they are ready to support ElBaradei if he decided to run for the election. However, Mohamed ElBaradei stated that if he decides to run for the 2011 elections, he prefers to run as an independent candidate, rather than running as a candidate of any of the existing political parties.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Withdrawn candidates, Mohamed ElBaradei
On 24 February 2010, ElBaradei met with several opposition leaders and notable intellects at his home in Cairo. The meeting was concluded with an announcement for the formation of a new non-party-political movement called "National Association for Change". The movement aims for general reforms in the political scene and mainly burke the Constitutional article#76 which places restrictions on true free presidential elections especially when it comes to independent candidates.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Withdrawn candidates, Mohamed ElBaradei
Worth mentioning is that the banned political group the Muslim Brotherhood were represented by one of their key figures who attended the meeting however their stand in accepting a non-member of their group as a candidate is yet unclear. It is also unknown whether Amr Moussa the head of the Arab League who met with Elbaradei a day earlier will be part of the new movement.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Withdrawn candidates, Mohamed ElBaradei
On 14 January 2012, he withdrew his candidacy in protest against the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces' alleged usurpation of power as he criticised the roadmap of transition to a civilian government following the 2011 revolution. ElBaradei called it a "travesty" to elect a president before a new constitution has been drafted.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Withdrawn candidates, AbdElazim Negm
Abdelazim Negm is a professor of hydraulic engineering at Zagazig University and former vice dean for education and student affairs. He announced his candidacy on 4 March 2011, and withdrew it on 2 April 2012.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Withdrawn candidates, Bothaina Kamel
Bothaina Kamel, a media personality and pro-democracy activist, announced her candidacy in April 2011. She dropped out of the race after failing to acquire the necessary number of signatures.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Withdrawn candidates, Saad El-Soghayar
Al-Sughayar headed to the High Presidential Elections Commission (HPEC) on Tuesday to collect the official application documents and learn of the requirements for running for presidency. A large crowd and folklore music accompanied Al-Sughayar and his band on their visit to the HPEC.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Withdrawn candidates, Saad El-Soghayar
Upon his visit to the HPEC, the pop star said that he has collected 30,000 recommendations, which were declined due to his failure to fill in required documents prior the submission, reported the Middle East News Agency. He insisted that he will collect more than 55,000 recommendations. He added that his presidential agenda is ambitious and includes several priorities important to the common citizen, with a full healthcare-for-all system at the front line of these priorities.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Withdrawn candidates, Saad El-Soghayar
However, in a television show later that same day, he went to state he did not think that he was qualified for office and not even for any elected office. He added that he pulled this stunt to show the government and the SCAF that the criteria of 30,000 signatures is not a true obstacle to prevent non-serious candidates.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Opinion polls
The first opinion poll conducted in Egypt post-Mubarak was conducted by YouGov. According to the YouGov survey of 1871 Egyptians between 15–20 February 2011, Almost half of all Egyptians (49%) believed that Amr Moussa, the secretary general of the Arab League, was the man most capable of leading the next Egyptian government. Other potential presidents, Ahmed Zewill (13%) & Ayman Nour, Mubarak's 2005 Presidential rival (1%), trailed Moussa by a huge margin. Almost 1 in 10 (9%) believed former vice president, Omar Sulieman, should be Egypt's new leader. The majority (81%) of Egyptians believed that the army would facilitate free and fair elections.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Opinion polls
An April 2011 survey of 1,000 Egyptians by Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project with a margin of error of four percentage points found that the most popular Egyptian politician was Amr Moussa with 41% of Egyptians viewing him as "very favourable," followed by Ayman Nour with 32% and Mohamed ElBaradei with 25%. Some 75% had a favourable view of the Muslim Brotherhood, but only 17% believed they should lead the next government.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Opinion polls
A poll conducted during the 2011 protests asking "who do you think should be the next President of Egypt?" showed Moussa in the lead, with 26% of respondents naming him.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Opinion polls
Notes: 1 In addition, another 7% decided not to vote, 16% haven't decided if they will participate, and 3% refused to say their nominee 2 2% for Khaled Ali 3 In addition, another 8% will not vote, 6% did not disclose nominee, and 17% have yet to decide if they will participate. 4 In addition, another 6% will not vote, 3% did not disclose nominee, and 8% have yet to decide if they will participate. 5The article doesn't mention "other", but mentions Ali and Hariri, which are not placed on the table, getting 1.1% and 0.6% respectively (hence, total of 1.7).


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Results
On 24 June 2012, Egypt's election commission announced that Morsi had won the run-off. Egypt's benchmark stock index celebrated Morsi's election by closing up 7.6 percent, its largest single-day gain in nine years.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Fairness
Allegations have arisen that the interior ministry handed out over 900,000 ID cards to Egyptian soldiers so that they could vote for Shafik in the first round, which would be a major campaign violation. Sabahi asked for the Egyptian election to be temporarily suspended until an investigation was carried out.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Fairness
In August 2013, former Israeli negotiator Yossi Beilin wrote that an Egyptian official had told him that the true results had Shafik winning, but the military gave the presidency to Morsi out of fear of unrest.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Presidential powers
Shortly after it became apparent that Morsi would win the election, SCAF made the following changes to the 30 March 2011 Egypt Constitutional Declaration in order to define the powers of the new president:


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Presidential powers
- Article 30: In situation that parliament is dissolved the president will be vowed into office in front of High Constitutional Court's General Assembly.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Presidential powers
- Article 53: The incumbent SCAF members are responsible for deciding on all issues related to the armed forces including appointing its leaders and extending the terms in office of the aforesaid leaders. The current head of the SCAF is to act as commander-in-chief of the armed forces and minister of defense until a new constitution is drafted.


2012 Egyptian presidential election, Presidential powers
- Article 53/1: The president can only declare war after the approval of the SCAF.