Islamists, ex-PM reach out to rivals in Egypt
CAIRO: The Muslim Brotherhood and a military man close to ousted leader Hosni Mubarak courted defeated first-round candidates in Egypt’s presidential election yesterday, each trying to claim the mantle of the uprising before a run-off next month.
State television said the Brotherhood’s Mohamed Mursi led this week’s vote with 26.4 percent, against 23 percent for ex-air force chief Ahmed Shafiq, according to preliminary results.
Hamdeen Sabahy, a secular leftist came a close third with 21.5 percent, followed by independent Islamist Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh. Only the top two go to the deciding vote on June 16 and 17. Official first-round results are expected on Tuesday.
But Sabahy’s lawyer said he would demand that the electoral committee halt the election until alleged voting irregularities had been investigated and until the constitutional court rules on whether Shafiq was legally eligible to stand.
“There are several irregularities that must be looked into before official results are announced and before the run-off starts,” the lawyer, Essam El-Islamboly, told Reuters.
The choice between Mursi and Shafiq, representing forces that have wrestled for the past six decades, has dismayed many Egyptians who voted for candidates offering a middle ground.
They fear a victory for the 70-year-old Shafiq, Mubarak’s last prime minister, would snuff out hopes for change ignited by last year’s uprising, while a win for Mursi would pitch Egypt into the uncertainties of experimenting with Islamic rule.
The Brotherhood invited Sabahy, Abol Fotouh and other politicians for talks to canvas their support before the runoff, but a source in Abol Fotouh’s campaign said he would not attend.
Warning of “determined efforts to recreate the old regime,” it said parties that supported the uprising against Mubarak must unite “so that the revolution is not stolen from us.” The Brotherhood already holds the biggest bloc in parliament after an election completed in January, but has been unable to assert itself against an army-appointed interim government.
Shafiq used strikingly similar language at a news conference in which he addressed youth groups that spearheaded last year’s revolt. For many, he represents everything they want changed.
“Your revolution was stolen,” Shafiq told them. “I pledge to return its fruits to your hands.” He said “the clock cannot be turned back,” but that he would not let Egypt “drown in chaos.” Much of his rhetoric indirectly targeted the Brotherhood, playing on fears among Egypt’s minority Christians and secular liberals that a Mursi presidency would threaten their freedoms.
“No exclusion of anyone or distancing of anyone,” Shafiq declared. “Everyone has a right to be a part of this nation.” On Friday he told Egyptian television he saw no problem with the idea of a Muslim Brotherhood-led government if he were elected president.