Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, is preparing to select his new cabinet amid deep political divisions in the country.

Morsi held talks with the country’s military rulers on Monday as he attempts to coax a mistrustful army into relaxing its grip on power.

The vwinning Muslim Brotherhood candidate has started moving into the presidential palace and has already begun talks to appoint his new cabinet, days before the military is scheduled to transfer power, a campaign spokeswoman said.

Morsi, who defeated his rival, former Mubarak premier Ahmed Shafiq, with 51.7 per cent of the vote, quickly moved to allay domestic and international concerns over the Islamists’ victory in the Arab world’s most populous country.

After being announced as the winner on Sunday, Morsi in a speech vowed to be president to all Egyptians and appealed for national unity.

Shortly before the polls closed last week, the generals issued a decree sharply limiting the powers of the new president. It permitted him to declare war, for example, only with the approval of the military council.

SCAF will also keep control of legislative power, and the budget, until a new parliament is elected. Egyptians went to the polls in November to elect a legislature, which was dominated by the Freedom and Justice Party, but it was dissolved earlier this month after a high court ruling found parts of the electoral law unconstitutional.