US looks forward to working with new Egyptian leader

The United States pledged on Thursday to "stand with the Egyptian people" and said it looked forward to working with their democratically elected government.   

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Egypt marked "another important milestone in their transition to democracy" by holding its first free election for president in two days of balloting.   

"We look forward to working with Egypt's democratically elected government," she said in a statement.   

"We will continue to stand with the Egyptian people as they work to seize the promise of last year's uprising and build a democracy that reflects their values and traditions, respects universal human rights, and meets their aspirations for dignity and a better life," Clinton said.   

Egyptians voted on Wednesday and Thursday with 12 candidates vying for the presidency. The race was a contest between Islamists and former officials of ousted President Hosni Mubarak, who for decades was one of the closest U.S. allies in the Middle East.   

Results would not be clear immediately but it was expected a runoff would be necessary next month among the top two finishers.   

The Muslim Brotherhood said its candidate, Mohamed Mursi,  was leading the early count.

REUTERS