Shafik vows to defend Egypt revolution

Published May 26th, 2012 - 02:06 GMT
Shafik
Shafik

Ahmed Shafik, who will face the Islamist candidate Mohamed Morsi in the second round of the Egyptian presidential election on June 16 and 17 pledged on Saturday to defend the gains of the revolution and restore security. "They stole your revolution," said the last Prime Minister Hosni Mubarak at a press conference, addressing a group of young people.

"I undertake to submit in your hands the fruits" of the revolution. A former general, considered a cacique of the old regime, he said "we can not go back," but this does not mean that we must leave the country to "be sucked into the chaos."

He lashed out indirectly at the Muslim Brotherhood, playing on fears by the Coptic minority and secular liberals if the Islamist candidate wins the vote for president. "Nobody should be excluded or marginalized," he said. "Everyone has the right to be part of the Egyptian nation." According to unofficial results, Mohamed Morsi would have received 26.4% of the votes in the first round ahead of Ahmed Shafik (23%).

Meanwhile, the "Freedom and Justice" party of the Muslim Brotherhood called on "patriotic" political parties and groups for a consultation meeting on Saturday 26 May in Cairo. To make sure the Brotherhood beat the last Prime Minister Hosni Mubarak, they must enlist the support of political forces close to the revolution.

The behavior of the Brotherhood after its victory in parliamentary elections has led to discontent among the revolutionary forces, whether liberal or leftist. Some have even compared the use of power by the Brotherhood to that of Mubarak. This, it will require more than rhetoric to convince the voters to grant more power to the Muslim Brotherhood. 

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