'Countdown has begun for Brotherhood's exit from Egypt politics': Heikal

Prominent Egyptian writer and former presidential aide Mohamed Hassanein Heikal says Muslim Brotherhood's resort to force indicates group's 'growing weakness'

Renowned Egyptian political analyst and writer Mohamed Hassanein Heikal stated on Thursday that the administration of President Mohamed Morsi had used "unjustified violence" in response to clashes outside the Muslim Brotherhood's headquarters in Cairo's Moqattam district earlier this week.
He further stressed that such actions reflected the Brotherhood's "relentless urge to hold on to power in any way possible."
Speaking on privately-owned Egyptian satellite channel CBC on Thursday, Heikal – who served as a close aide to both former presidents Gamal Abdel-Nasser and Anwar El-Sadat – stated that the Brotherhood was resorting to force in an attempt to offset its increasing and evident weakness.
Heikal called on the group to "honestly question themselves about their actions and their future aspirations." He added that the moment of victory experienced by the Brotherhood – when Morsi won 2012 presidential elections – had since become a "moment of crisis."
Heikal also referred to the Brotherhood's losses in student union elections held earlier this week and in polls for various professional syndicates, which had been dominated by Brotherhood members during the Mubarak era.
According to the writer, the Muslim Brotherhood regards the Egyptian military as a party with which it can enter into negotiations given its dominant position in domestic politics. He also claimed that what scares the Brotherhood most is that public opinion has turned against it.
He concluded by stating: "The countdown has begun for the exit of the Brotherhood from Egypt's political scene." While he conceded that the group had a plan to impose security and ensure broad political representation, he asserted that it had quickly alienated large segments of the public.