Egypt's election committee said on Wednesday it may not be ready to announce the results of the run-off presidential vote on Thursday as planned because it was still reviewing appeals from the two candidates, both of whom claim to have won.

Egyptians voted at the weekend to choose a replacement for Hosni Mubarak, who was removed in a popular uprising last year.

The race pitted the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsy against Ahmed Shafik, a former air force commander who was Mubarak's last prime minister.

"We cannot announce when exactly the timing of the announcement of the election results will be because now we are at the stage of listening to the representatives," Hatem Bagato, committee secretary-general, said.

"The committee will meet afterwards to decide on whether to accept the appeals or not. After that there will be a time set to announce the final result," he added, speaking by phone.

Bagato issued an official statement later in the day with more detail.

"The committee has decided to continue to examine the appeals, which involves looking at records and logs related to the electoral process, and this will necessitate more time before announcing the final results," the statement said.

Any lengthy delay in disclosing the results risks prolonging uncertainty and stoking tension at a time when it is unclear how big a role the military will continue to play in leading the country. [Reuters]