link: January 25 Revolution, Hosni Mubarak, Muslim Brotherhood, Salafi, Amr Moussa The Egyptian army is keen to keep its image and popularity in the eyes of the Egyptian people, according to Jean Felix-Paganon, the French ambassador to Egypt. He said the army played an important role in the success of Egypt's January 25 Revolution, which overthrew 30-year ruler Hosni Mubarak in February. Paganon said the military institution refused to open fire on demonstrators and announced its desire to transfer authority in less than a year. During the third Egyptian-French meeting held by the Center of Studies and Documents, the French ambassador added that the Egyptian army announced that the transitional stage will be short and will witness free and fair elections. Regarding the Muslim Brotherhood and its chances to take power in Egypt, Paganon said political analysts can estimate the political weight of the group at around 20-30 percent. He said the next election will reveal the extent of the Brotherhood's popularity among the Egyptian people. He expects the Brotherhood to win around 25 percent of the seats in parliament. The Wasat Party will have Salafi candidates, he said. He predicted that the liberal, democratic and Nasserite powers will call to establish a mixed political power. “Egypt will have a parliament with a high percentage of the Brotherhood,” Paganon said. “The next parliament will have a religious nature.” He said the only free elections conducted in Egypt were witnessed during the March 19 referendum on constitutional amendments. He added that the experiment proved the strength of the Brotherhood, which managed to convince most Egyptians to vote ‘yes.' Paganon said Egypt's president is an important personality and a matter of political controversy. He said the next presidential elections will see prominent candidates such as Amr Moussa, formerly head of the Arab League. He added that the political crisis in Egypt is the main problem and said the Egyptian government should prove its ability to overcome such a problem.
