Opposition sources said the Brotherhood has sought to dominate political
life in Egypt in wake of Mubarak's ouster. They said El Baradei, a Noble
Peace laureate, marked a key member of the secular opposition.
Brotherhood supporters have accused El Baradei of working for the United
States, Middle East Newsline reported. They said he has sought to benefit from years of opposition to the
Mubarak regime by the Brotherhood.
"El Baradei does not want elections in 2011 because he is not ready," an
opposition source said. "The Brotherhood is probably the only opposition
faction ready to organize for parliamentary elections."
On March 19, 77 percent of voters approved changes in the constitution
said to bolster the Brotherhood. The sources said the Brotherhood brought
many Muslims to vote for the changes, which confirmed Islamic domination
over religious issues.
"It does not even contain the essence of the political entity, even the
principles of rights and public freedoms, in accordance with the law,"
Egyptian constitutional scholar Ibrahim Darwish said. "Do we draft a
constitution for the ruling class?"
Egyptian analyst Nabil Abdul Fatah, a researcher for the state-owned Al
Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, agreed. He said the
approval of the constitution confirmed fears by many young Egyptians of the
growing partnership between the Brotherhood and the military regime. He said
the youth believe that the Brotherhood, in cooperation with Al
Qaida-influenced groups, were dominating the post-Mubarak era.
"They felt that their revolution is being aborted," Abdul Fatah said.
The Brotherhood has acknowledged a rift with others in the opposition
movement. The Islamic group said it would not nominate a candidate for the
presidency in December 2011 but did not rule this out in the future.
"We do not seek to be the majority and we do not seek the presidency,"
Brotherhood leader Mohammed Al Baltagui said. "If the Islamic movement seeks
to dominate either in regard to positions or responsibility, there could be
a big problem."
The Brotherhood has also been divided by calls for reform within the
movement. On March 26, the movement's Student Youth Congress called for a
revision of the Shura Council as well as restructuring of departments as
part of a drive to promote transparency.