The announcement will put an end to the country's nerve-wracking uncertainty about who is the official winner, but it promises no resolution to the power struggles between Islamists, the military and other factions.
The military has pledged to hand over power to civilian rule by July 1. But on June 15, the country's highest court dissolved the country's Islamist-led parliament, calling the law under which it had been elected unconstitutional. Two days later the generals issued a declaration in which they gave themselves legislative powers, including control over drafting a constitution.
The military-appointed commission delayed the official election results after the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate, Mohammed Morsi, and ousted leader Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq, both claimed victory.
The delay brought protesters to Tahrir Square, demanding the release of the results. For the sixth straight day, tens of thousands of Morsi supporters and critics of the military held a rally, endorsing his victory and calling on the military to rescind its recent decisions and restore the dissolved parliament.
A gathering of secular-leaning politicians criticized what they said was U.S. meddling on behalf of the Muslim Brotherhood. Other secularists have stood behind the Islamist group, calling it the likely legitimate winner and the best hope in the current circumstances against continued military domination of the country.
Many Egyptians rallied behind Morsi as a chance to finally rid the country of the old Mubarak regime, while others support Shafiq as the best bet to counter Islamists and restore order after a year of protests, economic hardship, and fear about crime and continued instability.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
