Wild rumors are flying around Cairo following the news that the official announcement of who won the presidential election last weekend will be "delayed":

The result of Egypt's presidential election has been delayed, state television has said.

It had been due to be announced on Thursday, but the Higher Presidential Elections Commission (HPEC) says it needs more time to look into complaints presented by the candidates.

Both candidates, Mohammed Mursi and Ahmed Shafiq, say they won last weekend's run-off vote.

Meanwhile ailing ex-President Hosni Mubarak remains in critical condition.

[...]

Some 400 election complaints have been filed by the two candidates, according to HPEC, and no new date has been set for the announcement of the result.

Nader Omran, a spokesman for Mr Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood, told the BBC that the result announcement should not be delayed.

"It will bring more tension to the people - they should end the story tomorrow (Thursday)", he said.

Mr Mursi's campaign has claimed he won the vote, but at a press conference on Wednesday evening an adviser to Mr Shafiq insisted that official results may hand Mr Shafiq victory.

Is the military trying to steal the election? Given their recent actions, anything is possible. They may be gambling that the Muslim Brotherhood would be unable to bring the kind of pressure to bear that ousted Mubarak last year. The demonstrations in Tahrir Square recently have been large, but not nearly as massive as the 1 or 2 million Egyyptians that took to the streets to oust Mubarak. Perhaps the generals believe they can manage the demonstrations and maintain their power regardless of what the Brotherhood does.