Source close to the Muslim Brotherhood claims that Essam El-Erian and Judge Mahmoud El-Khodeiry are the two candidates for the influential position in the next Parliament Senior Muslim Brotherhood figure Essam El-Erian and Judge Mahmoud El-Khodeiry are believed to be the leading contenders for the post of Egyptian parliamentary speaker. The post of speaker is usually decided by parliamentarians. From 1990 until the dissolution of the 2010 parliament, it was held Fathi Sorour, a core part of the National Democratic Party (NDP) and Hosni Mubarak's inner circle. The parliament was dissolved by the ruling military council following the January uprising that sparked the Egyptian revolution and Sorour is currently in prison on a slew of corruption charges. According to a Brotherhood source, the post will go to one of El-Erian, deputy chairman of the group's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) and El-Khodeiry. The source added that if El-Khodeiry lands the post, El-Erian will be appointed parliamentary majority co-ordinator. The post was previously held by NDP heavyweight and steel magnate Ahmed Ezz, also in prison awaiting trial on corruption charges. As a prominent and active member of the outlawed Brotherhood, El-Erian was a target of the Mubarak regime and repeatedly imprisoned. He is now running for the professional seat in Giza at the head of the FJP's candidate list in the second phase of elections. El-Khodeiry, a long-time opponent of the Mubarak regime, won the professional seat in Alexandria's second constituency as an FJP Alliance (formerly Democratic Alliance) candidate. He famously presided over the “mock trial” in Tahrir Square last April of ousted president Mubarak. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/28739.aspx
