UPDATE (6/27/12): Earlier today, President Morsi announced that he would appoint a woman as one of his vice presidents, and a Coptic Christian as his other. On the whole, this move should help to assuage the concerns of those who feared that Morsi's affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood would lead him to adopt radical Islamist policies. In addition, this announcement followed news that an administrative court in Cairo has overturned the military's declared right to make warantless arrests. Overall, a good day for democracy in Egypt, though, of course, much work remains to be done.

This past Sunday,  Egypt took another tenuous step along the road to democracy, as the  Supreme Presidential Election Council declared the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate, Mohamed Morsi, the winner of Egypt's first presidential elections since the fall of Hosni Mubarak. According to statistics released by the Election Council, Morsi garnered 51.7% of the popular vote, compared with a 48.3% share for his opponent, Ahmed Shafiq.

Egyptians continued voting in parliamentary elections for a second day Tuesday, marking a historic change for a nation that was under authoritarian rule less than a year ago. The elections to fill the People's Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, are the first held since the ousting of former dictator Hosni Mubarak, who resigned from power following massive uprisings earlier this year. The first days of voting have seen an unexpectedly high level of participation (authorities estimate participation to be above 70%) amongst a population optimistic that their votes will finally matter after decades of totalitarian governance. The elections have also been surprisingly peaceful and free of obstructions that many feared would put a damper on the watershed moment for the budding democracy.

The election of a new Parliament is a months-long process, done in regional stages that will not be completed until March. This vote will set the stage for the creation of a new constitution next spring as well as a presidential election to be held next summer. The success of the voting thus far gives hope that the resulting government at the end of this process will be truly democratic and representative of the Egyptian people.