CAIRO: An Islamist victory in the early stages of Egypt's first free and open elections since the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak in February already has the global community looking forward. On Tuesday, United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on all Egyptian parties to push forward on democracy. Her statement comes after the first round of parliamentary voting took place in Egypt, with some 52 percent of eligible voters taking to the polls in the country's first-ever open democratic process. But Clinton called on all parties, including the Islamists who appear to have taken the lion's share of votes, to push toward democratic principles. She gave credence to the success of the Islamist parties, notably the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) and the ultra-conservative al-Nour Party, for their initial successes. The US has praised the Egypt voting process thus far as fair. Clinton, however, addressed many of the rising fears among secular activists in the country that the revolutoin they participated in was being hijacked by the Islamist groups, who largely kept away from the 18 days of protests that led to the fall of Mubarak and paved the way for elections. “Transitions require fair and inclusive elections, but they also demand the embrace of democratic norms and rules,” she said. “We expect all democratic actors to uphold universal human rights, including women's rights, to allow free religious practice.” BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/QlnQQ Tags: Elections, Hillary Clinton, Islamists Section: Egypt, Latest News
