The recent events in Egypt signal the start of a period of instability and uncertainty for the country that will pose serious security and political dilemmas for Israel. Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate who was elected Egypt’s fifth president, will launch his term in office with some serious questions hanging over his victory. The low voter turnout – a little over half of those eligible to cast a ballot – and the tiny margin over his opponent will allow the Egyptian opposition to claim that the new president earned only one-fourth of voter support. Although a legitimate political victory, for a nation where until 18 month ago the president regularly won 99 percent of the votes, the slim margin is liable to come back to haunt him.
