Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood on Monday claimed victory for their candidate Mohammed Mursi in the country's key presidential vote, the first after a 2011 uprising that overthrew ex-leader Hosni Mubarak.
"Doctor Mohammed Mursi is the first Egyptian president of the republic elected by the people," read a tweet from the official Twitter account of the Freedom and Justice Party, the Brotherhood's political arm.
The vote is being carried out in an atmosphere of uncertainty after the ruling military council on Sunday issued an amended constitutional document handing it sweeping powers, including legislative control, after a court ruled the elected parliament invalid.
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The declaration issued by SCAF late Sunday leaves legislative and budgetary powers in the hands of the military council, which took control of the country after the uprising.
"The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces shall exercise the powers referred to under the first clause of article 56 (on legislative power)... until the election of a new People's Assembly," the document reads.
Such an election cannot be held until a new permanent constitution is written and adopted by a referendum, it adds.
In the election, votes from 81 per cent of polling stations had been tallied at 11AM EST
Members of the Muslim Brotherhood's formidable network of observers are watching vote counts across the country on Monday and transmitting tallies to the organisation as they come in.
Brotherhood official Khaled al-Qazaz said ballots from 81.7 per cent of Egypt's 13,100 polling stations had been tallied so far, and Mursi was leading with 52.49 per cent of the vote to Shafiq's 47.5 per cent.
Over 20 million votes have been counted so far, he said, with around 10.5 million going to Mursi, compared to 9.5 million for Shafiq.
The figures suggested the race would remain too close to call until the counting was complete.
Egypt's electoral commission is not expected to announce the official results of the poll until June 21, but the unofficial final results are likely to be known by early on Monday morning.
Officials at Shafiq's campaign had no comment on the preliminary results, and did not immediately release its own figures.
Some 50 million Egyptians are eligible to vote in the poll held June 16-17, a run-off that followed a first round election on May 23-24.
The country's electoral commission extended voting by two hours on Sunday, in part to allow people to cast ballots in the relative evening cool.
Before polls closed, commission officials said turnout appeared to be lower than in the first round, when 46 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot.
