The Muslim Brotherhood's overwhelming success in the Teachers Syndicate election was a blow to remnants of the dissolved National Democratic Party (NDP), claimed Essam al-Erian, the vice president of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, at a popular rally in Beni Suef on Friday. The Brotherhood beat candidates who had fraudulently won their seats under the former regime, he said, adding that the Freedom and Justice Party will ally with other political groups and parties in the parliamentary elections in order to beat former NDP members. The secret behind the Brotherhood's success in the teachers election is religious commitment, which sparks enthusiasm and encourages sacrifice, Erian continued. Differences of opinion should not lead to accusations of treason or blasphemy, he said, noting that these differences actually proved useful to the revolution. Erian went on to say that belonging to different parties should not divide people, and they should still try to find common interests and values. The Freedom and Justice Party welcomes all parties to continue to participate in the political process, he said, except for those established by corrupt members of the Mubarak regime. Repentance from former members of the NDP can only be accepted after five years, Erian added, and only if they openly admit that the government they worked for rigged elections. The Brotherhood met with a number of Islamist groups in Daqahlia Governorate on Friday evening in an attempt to form a united front ahead of the coming parliamentary elections under the slogan, "One heart and one hand." The meeting was held at the Brotherhood's administrative office in Mansoura. Representatives from different Islamist organizations and movements attended, including Salafi groups, the Ansar al-Sunna Assembly and Al-Azhar. Brotherhood leader Yousry Mohamed Hany said the meeting was an attempt to reconcile differences between Islamist groups, as the Mubarak regime was always keen to sow discord among them. The Brotherhood distributed statements at mosques in Damanhour, the capital of Beheira Governorate, urging Egypt's military rulers to speedily transfer power to an elected civilian authority. The statement said the Brotherhood rejected attempts to circumvent the will of the people, whether through postponing elections or imposing supra-constitutional principles. Translated from the Arabic Edition
