The Muslim Brotherhood is considering conducting elections for the Guidance Bureau through circulating paper ballots among members of the group's Shura Council, thus avoiding provoking security authorities. Osama Nasr Eddin, bureau member, said that the Muslim Brotherhood has the right to run their elections in any way they choose, including circulation of paper ballots. Fathy Lashin, legal advisor for the organization, said that he has been commissioned with the task of interpreting a bylaw which lies at the heart of a divide within the Brotherhood concerning when the bureau elections should be held. Two days ago bureau members decided to form a committee, headed by Lashin, to interpret the disputed regulation and put an end to disagreement between two different groups within the organization - one of which wishes to hold the elections as soon as possible, the other preferring to postpone the elections until June of next year, after the elections for the organization's Shura Council have been held. In a statement to Al-Masry Al-Youm, Lashin said that his only job is to eliminate the ambiguity surrounding the bylaw. He said that he will deliver his opinion to the Guidance Bureau within the next few days. Lashin also said that he had recommended that former State Council president Tareq el-Beshry join the team of consultants responsible for interpreting the bylaw, along with a number of MB lawyers. Mohamed Habib, deputy Supreme Guide, explained that the current bylaw has been in place since 1990, but that some of its parts need amendment. He said that the disagreement will soon be solved. Meanwhile, Mohamed Saad el-Katatny, chairman of the group's bloc in the People's Assembly, described the organization's conditions for a presidential candidate. He said that such a person should possess a clear vision for development, and the ability to meet demands by political parties for justice and general freedoms. He said that the group will not support any particular partisan candidate, and that even if candidates for the presidential race are offered by different parties the situation will not be any different to that of the last elections, since any nominees will merely serve to 'decorate' the NDP candidate. El-Katatny added that the Brotherhood might however give support to an independent candidate. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
