Muslim Brotherhood seeks power in Egypt

Egypt’s long-banned fundamental Islamic rivals to the deposed president today declared they would seek power as a political party in the wake of the country’s revolution.

The Muslim Brotherhood said it will form the party once democracy is established.

The new military rulers today set a panel of experts to amending the constitution enough to allow democratic elections later this year.

The military is trying to push ahead quickly with a transition after Hosni Mubarak resigned in the face of unprecedented popular protests.

Generals from the Armed Forces Supreme Council, which now rules Egypt, said the military wants to hand power to a government and elected president within six months, the firmest timetable yet outlined.

The constitutional panel is to draw up changes at a breakneck pace – within 10 days – to end the monopoly that Mubarak’s ruling party once held, which it ensured through widespread election rigging.

The military has long opposed the Brotherhood. But with the panel, it gave a strong sign it recognises that the group, which calls for an Islamic state in Egypt, can no longer be barred from politics.

A former Brotherhood MP was named to the eight-member panel, along with other experts of various ideologies, including a secular liberal scholar and three judges from the current Supreme Constitutional Court, one of them a Christian.

The initial changes proposed may not be enough for many in Egypt calling for the current constitution, now suspended by the military, to be thrown out completely and rewritten to ensure no one can once again establish autocratic rule.

The eight-member committee held its opening meeting with Defence Minister Hussein Tantawi.

It is headed by Tareq el-Bishri, considered one of Egypt’s top legal minds. A former judge, he was once a secular leftist but became a prominent thinker in the “moderate Islamic” political trend. He is respected on both sides as a bridge between the movements.

The military is now also urging an end to strikes spreading wildly across the country since last week and hitting many government offices and industries.

They added turmoil to the rapidly mushrooming protests which prompted the military to force Mubarak out. Strikes have continued since even as the political protests themselves have largely ended for the moment.

The Supreme Council warned that continuing strikes and protests would be “disastrous,” arguing that only when they stop could the economic and social ills plaguing the country could be tackled.

In a nod to the anger over corruption that is fuelling strikes and protests, the council acknowledged how widespread the corruption was in the Mubarak regime.

The strikes eased today, mainly because an Islamic holiday closed state offices and businesses.

But smaller protests by hundreds continued in at least seven provinces outside Cairo, including by government workers and police over pay. Fishermen in the Nile Delta demanded an end to restrictions on where they can fish in a lake north of the capital. Sugar cane growers in the southern city of Luxor demonstrated demanding higher prices for their crops.

The potential for the Brotherhood to exploit Egypt’s upheaval and gain greater influence has worried some Egyptians – and caused alarm in neighbouring Israel and among some in the United States.

Last week, Mr Obama played down prospects the Muslim Brotherhood would take a major role in a new government, calling it only “one faction in Egypt” that does not enjoy majority support.

The group is eager to now have a legitimate role after decades of suppression under Mubarak, whose regime arrested thousands of its members in regular crackdowns.

Essam el-Erian, a senior leader in the Brotherhood, said the movement would not run a candidate for forthcoming presidential elections, acknowledging that such a move would be too controversial.

It is the most organised opposition movement in the country – except perhaps the secular, liberal youth activists who led the protests themselves, though they have not moved to form their own political party.

The Muslim Brotherhood, banned since 1954, could not form a party but ran candidates for parliament as independents. In 2005, it made a surprisingly strong showing, winning 20% of the seats. But it was pushed out completely in the most recent election in November and December, plagued by fraud.

But many in Egypt argue that its strength is exaggerated, inflated by the government’s suppression that brought it sympathy among some.

They, including the protest leaders, say the Brotherhood has to be allowed freedom to compete in a democracy alongside everyone else.