The Muslim Brotherhood’s secretary general has stressed that the only solution to achieving the Egyptian revolution’s goals is to rally behind the group’s presidential candidate, Mohamed Morsy, for the runoff election scheduled for later this month.
Mahmoud Hussein told the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that demands by political forces for the Brotherhood to provide political concessions should not be made during a time when the revolution is facing “an imminent danger.”
The political situation in Egypt has heated up since Saturday, when a Cairo criminal court sentenced former President Hosni Mubarak and ex-Interior Minister Habib al-Adly to 25 years in prison on charges of failing to stop the killing of peaceful demonstrators during the January 2011 uprising, while exonerating six former security officials of the same charges.
Revolutionary groups and political figures have been considering the idea of forming a presidential coalition comprising Morsy and other former, pro-revolution candidates. The coalition would assume power and draft a new constitution.
The idea surfaced as many Egyptians voice rejection of the presidential election’s first round, which sent Morsy and former Mubarak-era Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq to the runoff, slated for 16 and 17 June.
But Hussein rebuffed the suggestion. He said the military would not accept such a proposal and would insist on its previously set plan to hand over power to an elected president.
He said Egypt is on the verge of an electoral encounter between the old regime and the Egyptian people.
“We should first join forces to defeat the former regime’s candidate and then seek understanding among each other,” Hussein said.
Hussein also addressed the issues concerning the Constituent Assembly formation. He said all political players agree on the content of the constitution, which means the controversy over the assembly is pointless.
“Political forces concurred on the Al-Azhar-issued document on constitutional principles, so it is easy to draft the constitution according to it, disregarding the body that will carry out the task,” Hussein said.
