The Lebanese militant Islamist group Hizbullah has congratulated Egypt's president-elect Mohamed Morsy for winning the country's top post, hoping that he would be able to assume what it called "the huge responsibility during the current critical stage." In a statement on Monday, Hizbullah, an organization listed by the US as a terrorist group, said it hopes Morsy will restore Egypt's status on the Arab and Islamic level. The group also offered its congratulations to the Egyptian population for what it described as a historic electoral achievement which they protected from forgery. Meanwhile, Lebanese National News Agency said the Coordinator of Popular Committees and Leagues in Lebanon, Maan Bashour, contacted the chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, Essam al-Erian, to congratulate him on Morsy's victory. Erian and Bashour stressed on Egypt's need for united efforts to face internal and external challenges. On Sunday, Morsy was declared winner in the first presidential elections since the resignation of former president Hosni Mubarak in 2011 following a wide-scale uprising, beating Mubarak's last prime minister Ahmed Shafiq. The media had reported celebrations after the announcement in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, Mauritania, Yemen and other regions outside Egypt.
