Muslim Brotherhood gears up for campaign season

Sept. 14, 2011

CAIRO, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt announced that candidates for its political party were gearing up for upcoming parliamentary elections.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces is expected to announce a date for opening nominations for parliamentary elections by the end of September. SCAF said it was having separate elections for each house to allow for proper judicial oversight.

Mokhtar Ali, a former member of the Egyptian Parliament with the Muslim Brotherhood, said the Freedom and Justice Party, the Muslim Brotherhood's political wing, was gearing up for election season.

"We will start campaigning in the coming few weeks," he was quoted by Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm as saying.

Ali's statements followed a closed-door political conference organized by the Freedom and Justice Party. The group said following the conference it was becoming frustrated with SCAF's policies, notably a decision to return to emergency laws in the country.

Victoria Nuland, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, said Washington had concerns about SCAF's commitments to the rule of law.

"As such, we have encouraged the transitional government to lift the state of emergency immediately," she said.

SCAF is facing mounting pressure because of the perception it isn't moving fast enough with post-revolutionary reforms.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/09/14/Muslim-Brotherhood-gears-up-for-campaign-season/UPI-38411316009708/.