“Egypt, a Cairo wit quipped recently, is ‘lost in transition’. The serious point is that although Hosni Mubarak stepped down in February 2011, the country’s progress from autocracy to democracy has been halting and complicated by tensions, divisions and violence at every turn.

Now, just two days before the runoff round of an already polarised presidential election, an extraordinary twist has created profound new uncertainties. The most dramatic interpretation is that it spells a decisive victory for the forces of counter-revolution. ‘It is like The Empire Strikes Back in the Star Wars saga,’ commented the popular blogger Zeinobia. Others denounced it furiously as a judicial coup.”

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