CAIRO - The final leg of Egypt's transition from military to civilian rule has turned into a bitter power struggle that is feeding a sense of crisis and confusion among Egyptians, who fear their democratic dawn could be at risk. Just weeks before a presidential election in May, divisions are hardening in a nation polarised by the rise of Islamist groups that were banned under Hosni Mubarak and attempts by members of his administration to reassert influence. The struggle for control of Egypt that began in the streets last year has moved to the courts and the Islamist-controlled parliament. How the next few weeks proceed will determine the course of political change that will influence the whole region. "There is some serious gamesmanship going on to gain the upper hand over the future," said a foreign diplomat, working in Cairo. "I don't think anyone could say it is going smoothly ... We've had these kind of crunch points before ... but each time they've managed to pull it back." The web of rivalries between Islamists, secular-minded reformists and Mubarak's old guard has thrown up big challenges for a process that has been far from easy and is being further muddied by a spate of politically driven legal battles that have halted work on a new constitution and thrown into doubt the candidacies of several presidential front-runners. The political heat is set to rise further on Friday as the Muslim Brotherhood heads back to Tahrir Square, the cradle of the revolt against Mubarak, for a protest aimed at stopping one of his senior aides from running in the vote that starts in May. Former spy chief Omar Suleiman's last-minute candidacy has unnerved secular-minded reformists as well as the Islamists. Both worry that a Suleiman presidency would mark a major blow to hopes for democracy in the Arab world's most populous nation. While his critics say Suleiman could only win through subterfuge, his candidacy appears to have struck a chord with voters alarmed at the rise of Islamist influence and who see the former army man as the best hope for an end to a year of chaos. Itself seeking the presidency, the Brotherhood is expected to draw thousands to the square on Friday. But in a sign of the polarisation that has split the reform movement, at least one revolutionary youth group has decided to boycott the Islamist demonstration and will instead take part in one next week. Looming over Egypt's fast-changing political landscape is the fate of 83-year-old Mubarak himself. The verdict in the case against him on charges of ordering the killing of protesters against his rule and corruption is due on June 2. The trial's outcome will be crucial to the public mood just weeks before the top two candidates in the first round of the presidential vote face off in a June run-off that is expected to follow the initial poll. "There is a sense of uncertainty about the future steps in the transition," said Mustapha Kamel al-Sayyid, a political scientist who described the current phase as the most difficult since Mubarak left power. "This is an important political battle with every side trying to use whatever means it has."
