CAIRO: Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, the most powerful political faction in post-Mubarak Egypt, has called for the first time for confrontation of Egypt's military and its handling of their transition to democratic, civilian rule in the last year since the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak. Though many political factions have been vocal opponents of Egypt's interim military rule, the Muslim Brotherhood has stayed relatively silent. Many believe that the Brotherhood's silence can be traced to their desire to see the election process go through on time, as they were expected to take significant wins. However, Brotherhood leader Mohammed Badie said in an interview with Egypt's Dream TV that the incoming parliament would scrutinize the military's budget and the handling of their duties through the transitional period, in which tens of protesters have been killed and thousands wounded. Badie said that the army would be held accountable for all mistakes they made during the transition process. “We respect and appreciate the army but the military council must be held accountable for any mistakes,” Badie said. “No one is above accountability,” he continued. The Muslim Brotherhood's political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) is expected to hold the largest share of seats in Egypt's recently elected People's Council, the lower house of parliament. They are followed in a close second by the more conservative Salafi al-Nour Party. As the army jockeys to protect its unchecked grip on power in the country, a clash between these two political forces is foreseeable. In November, the army proposed a set of supraconstitutional principles, whereby the army and its budget would remain independent from any governmental or civilian oversight, sending ripples of anger through Egypt's political forces. Conflict over the drafting of Egypt's new constitution, originally tasked to the parliament, will likely cause problems as well, as the army announced this fall that they wish to have ultimate control over the process, calling the parliament “unrepresentative” of Egypt. The first session of Egypt's newly elected People's Council is set to adjourn on January 23, just two days before the anniversary of the popular uprisings that ouster Egypt's former leader Hosni Mubarak. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/eAsuS Tags: featured, Mohamed Badie, Muslim Brotherhood, People's Council, SCAF Section: Egypt, Latest News
