The ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) is trying to guarantee itself certain prerogatives in Egypt's new Constitution while also developing a "consensus candidate" all political forces could support, Islamist presidential hopeful Hazem Abu Ismail said on Tuesday during an interview with Al-Arabiya satellite channel. “The council is pressuring the Islamist forces not to field a candidate under the pretext that the foreign powers would not consent,” he added, calling on Parliament to refrain from writing the new Constitution while the military council remains in power. “SCAF interferes behind closed doors by adding articles and deleting others,” Abu Ismail said. “Allowing nominations for presidential elections on 10 March should have come from a judiciary committee, not the military council,” he said. “This confirms that we are being tricked.” “The military council puts pressure on the political forces, including the Islamist parties, to agree on a consensus candidate for the presidency,” he said. Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi sources noted ongoing consultations among the group, prominent Salafi leaders and the SCAF to support the same candidate for presidency. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Muslim Brotherhood also seeks a 'consensus candidate,' one that would not feud with the West and is compatible with the military and most political forces. However, Ahmed Abo Baraka, Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party leader, denied any agreement between the SCAF and the Salafis over supporting a specific figure. “This is not true,” Abo Baraka told Al-Masry Al-Youm “The Party has not yet decided whom it will support.” Wahid Abdel Meguid, general coordinator of the FJP-led Democratic Alliance, said: “It's unlikely that the coalition parties agree on a specific candidate.”
