The Democratic Alliance for Egypt is seeking to win a majority of seats in the upcoming parliamentary elections, said Essam al-Erian, the vice president of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party on Tuesday.
The Alliance, a massive political coalition formed in early June to heal the rift between Islamists and secularists, may be on the verge of falling apart, with ideological differences proving too big to overcome.
Grouping together 24 political parties across the political spectrum, the Alliance has recently witnessed internal feuds, causing some parties to pull out and leaving others contemplating the same.
It has yet to announce its nominee list for the upcoming parliamentary elections, despite the approach of the 22 October deadline for applications.
In a press statement on Tuesday, Erian said the Freedom and Justice Party “does not seek an absolute majority in the coming parliament.”
He went on to say that the Democratic Alliance “seeks to win a majority of seats in the upcoming parliamentary elections so that it can form a coalition government capable of achieving the peoples’ demands.”
Regarding his expectations on the percentage of seats likely to be won by the Muslim Brotherhood in the upcoming elections, Erian said it was difficult to predict the outcome, in light of the large numbers of candidates and increased voter turnout, which could be up to 70 percent of voters.
The Freedom and Justice Party had previously announced its plan to run for around 40 percent of the seats in parliament, sparking the ire of liberal and secular parties and movements who fear that Islamists will gain control over the drafting of the new constitution.
The coming parliament is expected to elect a constitutional committee to draft a new constitution within six months.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
