Egypt Islamists fight military rulers over charter

Egypt Islamists fight military rulers over
charter
Dec 9, 2011, 11.11AM IST AP
CAIRO: Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, the
Islamist group set to dominate the new
parliament, has accused the country's
military rulers of trying to undercut the
authority of elected legislators even before
the house is seated.
The Brotherhood said it is boycotting a
council appointed by the ruling generals to
oversee the drafting of the new
constitution and stayed away from a
meeting to set up the panel on Thursday.
In theory, the new parliament will be
entrusted with forming a 100-member
assembly to write the constitution. But the
ruling military council says election results
showed the parliament will not be
representative, so they are appointing a
council to ensure the process of drafting a
constitution is protected from extremist
religious ideas.
Muslim Brotherhood spokesman Mahmoud
Ghozlan said his group will not be part of
the new constitutional oversight council
because it will deprive the parliament of its
authority.
"The military council is determined to turn
against the will of the people," he said. "To
those who voice fear of Islamists, this is just
blackmailing."
Islamist groups won about 68 percent of
seats in the first round of parliamentary
elections, according to Associated Press
calculations based on official results. The
Muslim Brotherhood dominated the vote,
with about 47 percent, while the second-
place Al-Nour - an even more conservative
Islamist party - won about 21 percent. Only
four women won among 150 of 498 seats
determined.
The elections were the first since Hosni
Mubarak's February ouster in a popular
uprising, and are considered the freest and
fairest vote in Egypt's modern history.
There are still two more rounds over the
coming month, but they are not expected to
dramatically alter the outcome.
A collision between the powerful
Brotherhood and the military was much
anticipated. A secular institution that has
traditionally controlled access of Islamists to
its ranks, the military said it is the only
authority that will have the right to form a
new government and spoke about
determination to oversee the writing of the
constitution. Recently, the ruling generals
have indicated the new parliament will be
weakened.
After the first indications last week of its
strong showing in the elections, the
Brotherhood demanded that parliament
form the government. But they softened
their tone afterward, saying they would not
insist.
The 83-year-old Brotherhood was banned
under Mubarak and subjected to waves of
arrests and oppression but still managed to
build the country's strongest political
organization, fielding independent
candidates in previous elections. With
Mubarak's fall, it was the group's chance to
exert its power openly. They supported the
military's push for relatively quick elections,
despite opposition from liberal and youth
groups who saw it as rushed.
With a strong showing, a clash over the role
of the military appears inevitable.
The military has been the most powerful
institution in Egypt since army officers
toppled the monarchy in a 1952 coup,
giving the country its four presidents since
and wielding significant influence and
economic power ever since.
Critics view the military's moves as an
attempt to reassert its ultimate authority
over the country, which is deeply
threatened by the uprising.
The newly created oversight council of 30
members is considered another attempt by
the military to interfere in the drafting of
the constitution. A previous proposal
sparked anger and led to street protests by
the Brotherhood and youth groups behind
the uprising. Those principles would have
enshrined a future role for the military to
intervene in politics.
Ghozlan said that he believes that the high
turnout in elections gives their victory
legitimacy.
"We thought the long lines has showed
everybody, including political rivals, that
they should submit to and respect the
people's choice," he said. "Even the liberals
who are talking about democracy day and
night and about the rule of the people are
blowing it up," he said in reference to
secular and liberal parties who are
participating in the new oversight panel
and trying to rein in Islamist influence over
drafting the constitution.
Emad Abdel Ghafour, head of the
ultraconservative Islamist Al-Nour party and
a member of the new constitutional council,
said the group met Thursday and discussed
guidelines for the constitutional principles,
including some 20 articles to be copied
from the old constitution. However, he said
the council overlooked controversial articles
such as secrecy of the military budget.
The military wants to shield its budget from
civilian oversight, even after an elected
president and parliament are in place.