(AFP Photo)
Former presidential candidate and ex-Muslim Brotherhood leader Abdel Moneim Abul Fotouh expressed a vision for an out-of-crisis initiative that was met with both criticism and reservations.
Abul Fotouh published an article on his official website explaining a six-axis vision that he considers a “contribution to pushing [forward] a wheel that is going backwards faster than we imagine”.
The veteran politician ranked fourth in the presidential elections of 2012, which saw the Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi winning and becoming Egypt’s first elected president after the 25 January Revolution. He called for forming a new transitional government led by an independent non-biased prime minister, with the President of the Republic delegating his powers to the head of the new government in a lead up to early presidential elections.
Abul Fotouh, head of Misr Al-Qawia party that boycotted the 2014 constitution referendum, said that it is time to realise that Egypt is “on the edge of a great cliff”. Whoever doubts that is “either unaware or has interest in the nation’s decline and contrition”, he warned.
He also called for the release or the pardoning of the leaders of all opposition currents that are not clearly proven to have taken part in crimes, the reformation of the Ministry of Interior among other reforms he suggested.
“He is rejected, his vision and the [Brotherhood] group,” Deputy Head of the National Movement Party Yahia Qadry told Daily News Egypt.
Qadry said Saturday that the assumption of the Brotherhood that anyone in Egypt still views the 30 June events as a coup is strange.
Abul Fotouh was a member of the Brotherhood since the 1970s until he was expelled from the group in 2011 after he independently announced his presidential candidacy.
Before the army ousted the Brotherhood government following a popular uprising in 30 June 2013, Abul Fotouh was part of the fruitless efforts made by opposition figures to reach a solution to would include Morsi stepping back without an intervention from the military.
“People took the streets to remove this group. The people chose a new constitution and elected a president in fair elections… What does he want?” added Qadry, who is acting leader of the NMP party, after the party’s leader and presidential runner-up Ahmed Shafiq resigned last week.
A spokesperson for the now-outlawed Brotherhood told Daily News Egypt that the initiative is valued, while adding that if it means reconciliation, “we are continuing our peaceful struggle”.
The spokesperson stated that a main disagreement with Abul Fotouh’s vision is the issue of early presidential elections. “Why elections when we have a legitimate president who is being trialled before coup’s court?” the spokesperson said.
“No reconciliation with the coup’s crimes,” the spokesperson added.
Ayman Nour, head of Al-Ghad Party and former 2005 presidential candidate, responded to Abul Fotouh’s initiative appreciating the efforts that aim at “the return of the democratic path”.
“We value all efforts,” said the liberal politician, who was close to the Brotherhood administration, on his official Twitter account, “even if we disagree on the details”.
