Now that Egypt has its first freely elected president, Egypt's powerful generals appear headed toward copying the Turkish model from decades past — retaining overwhelming powers while allowing a civilian regime complete with the trappings of democracy to emerge.

It is not the model that many in today's Turkey boast about, but rather one dating back to the 1980s and 1990s when civilians ran Turkey's day-to-day affairs under the watchful eyes of the military.

Egypt's ruling generals went for a power grab even before the winner of a June 16-17 presidential runoff — Mohammed Morsi of the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood — was announced on Sunday.

The two sides are now thought to be negotiating a power-sharing deal behind closed doors. The military currently retains full legislative powers, controls the process of drafting a new and permanent constitution and has the final say on foreign policy and security.