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At first glance, it was a victory. Just two months ago, the Muslim Brotherhood was not even in the race for the Egyptian presidency. Last week, its candidate made it to the runoff, according to official results.

The brotherhood did what it does better than any other group in Egypt: mobilized a nationwide network to get out the vote, catapulting Mohammed Morsi into the second round on June 16 and 17 against Ahmed Shafiq, Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister.

But the success masks a setback. By its own calculations, the brotherhood's vote fell by almost half compared to the lower house parliamentary election six months ago.

The brotherhood lost ground in some of its heartlands, where its followers once braved tear gas and police beatings to cast votes in parliamentary elections in Mubarak's era.

In dramatic shifts in a fast-evolving electoral landscape, initial results showed that Morsi came fourth in Egypt's second city, Alexandria, an Islamist bastion. He was defeated by Shafiq in Nile Delta provinces long seen as brotherhood strongholds.

One of the group's leaders hinted at foul play, but the results have also provoked introspection among brotherhood figures who have seldom blamed anything but a hostile media for their public image problems in the past.

A moderate Islamist candidate said on Monday he did not accept the result of Egypt's presidential vote, saying the election had not been honest.

"I reject these results and do not recognize them," said Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh, a former brotherhood member, alleging that votes had been bought and representatives of candidates had been denied access to polling stations during the count.

Preliminary results put Abol Fotouh in fourth place.

（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）

About the broadcaster:

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.