They chose the latter:
Islamist Mohamed Morsy of the Muslim Brotherhood was elected president of Egypt with 51.7 percent of last weekend's run-off vote, defeating former general Ahmed Shafik, the state election committee said on Sunday.
He succeeds Hosni Mubarak, who was overthrown 16 months ago after a popular uprising. The military council which has ruled the biggest Arab nation since then has this month curbed the powers of the presidency, meaning the head of state will have to work closely with the army on a planned democratic constitution.
The army may well have floated the prospect of a Shafik victory in order to make the somewhat hollow victory of Morsy seem more significant.
Egypt certainly isn't working out as one could hope. We shall see how democracy fares and whether the Egyptian elites can weather the storm of the Arab Spring until fervor for change dissipates.
