Leading in vote, Egypt Islamists reach out to rivals

[dbt]

Source: Reuters (Sherine El Madany and Tom Perry)

The Islamist Muslim Brotherhood was edging towards a dominant role in Egypt's first free parliament in decades on Wednesday, but said it would not impose its will over a new constitution and would work with all political rivals on the blueprint.

Egyptians went to the polls for a second day in the final stage of the election for the assembly's lower house, the first free legislative vote since military officers overthrew the monarchy in 1952.

The vote is part of the ruling army council's plan to hand power to civilians before July, ending its turbulent interregnum that began with the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak in February in a popular uprising.

Welcomed then as heroes who helped nudge the autocratic leader from office, the generals now face anger over their handling of protests that have left 59 dead since mid-November and an economic crisis that is worsening the plight of the poor.


Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/04/us-egypt-election-idUSTRE8010W020120104

[No Elephants]

1. The West welcomed the Egyptian generals as heroes, with the help of media I am not sure Egyptians

did.

Supposedly, the military was running Egypt all along, with Mubarak as a figurehead.

At a miniumum, the military sure kept him in power.

But, what choice did Egyptians have?