Morsi gained confidence during race

Egypt's first Islamic and democratically elected President Mohammed Morsi was written off as an uncharismatic substitute at first.

Morsi, a quietly-spoken and bespectacled engineering academic, became the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate only after their first choice Khairat el-Shater was disqualified, but he appeared to gain confidence as his campaign proceeded, growing comfortable in his new role as a potential president.

Born in 1951 in Edwa, a village in the Nile Delta, Morsi received his bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering from Cairo University before pursuing a doctorate in the same field from the University of Southern California.