Egypt’s Brotherhood to work with rivals

CAIRO - Reuters

A man speaks to the driver of a vehicle showing electoral posters outside a polling station in Cairo. Brotherhood says it is ready to work with rivals after elections. REUTERS photo

The Islamist Muslim Brotherhood said it would not use its success in Egypt’s parliamentary election to impose its will on the drafting of a new constitution and would work with all rival political groups on the blueprint.

Egyptians went to the polls for a second day Jan. 4 in the final stage of the election for the lower house of parliament, the first free legislative vote since military officers overthrew the monarchy in 1952. The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) has led after two of the three rounds of voting so far, and the rise of Islamist parties in the poll has prompted Western concern for the future of Egypt’s close ties to Washington and peace with Israel. “The party’s winning of the majority in the new parliament does not mean going it alone in writing the constitution without consideration for the rights of other Egyptians, or ignoring the political forces which did not get a majority or failed in the parliamentary elections,” said FJP head Mohamed Mursi. “All political forces and intellectuals in Egypt, regardless of their political and religious allegiances, will take part in writing the constitution,” said Mursi, whose comments were published on the Muslim Brotherhood’s website on Tuesday.

The more hardline Islamist al-Nour Party has come second in the voting so far. It is a Salafi group promoting a strict interpretation of Islamic law and its success has raised the prospect of a chamber dominated by Islamists. Some analysts believe, however, that the Muslim Brotherhood could seek to build a coalition with secular groups.