The resignation of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) prior to parliamentary elections would cause chaos in Egypt, Muslim Brotherhood spokesperson Mahmoud Ghozlan told a Jordanian newspaper.
Ghozlan, a member of the Brotherhood’s Guidance Bureau, said in an interview with Al-Sabil newspaper that the SCAF and interim government were responsible for “every drop of blood spilled” in Tahrir Square. He alleged that the SCAF and Prime Minister Essam Sharaf’s cabinet attempted to lure the Brotherhood into becoming involved in the clashes that first broke out in the square Saturday and have so far killed at least 35 people in Egypt.
Ghozlan demanded that all those involved in killing and injuring protesters be brought to justice.
“If a fair investigation into these killings is not opened now, it will be opened once a civilian government is elected,” the paper quoted him as saying.
Concerning the Brotherhood’s decision not to participate in the ongoing protests around Tahrir, Ghozlan said, “There is a scheme to lure sincere people, and in particular members of the Muslim Brotherhood, into participating in protests that escalate into clashes, with the aim of complicating matters and attributing the acts of chaos, vandalism and the like to [the Brotherhood].
“All this is with the goal of circumventing democracy, the first step of which is represented in the parliamentary elections which are slated for Monday,” said Ghozlan. “Therefore, we have decided not to hand them this opportunity.”
Ghozlan said that once completed, legislative elections will transfer legislative authority from the SCAF to the new parliament. Once a civilian president is elected, the armed forces will go back to their barracks, he said.
Ghozlan said, “all other institutions have collapsed, and the overwhelming emotions, anger and lack of political awareness on the part of the protesters is what pushed them to insist on [the military leaving power].”
Regarding the possibility of the Brotherhood participating in a so-called national salvation government, Ghozlan said the organization would not join any government under the SCAF’s leadership.
Pointing to Tunisia’s transition, Ghozlan said that country’s revolution was a success and political parties were able to form a consensus because the armed forces did not assume power during its transitional period.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
