Brotherhood party renews call for national consensus govt

Thursday 23-02-2012 12:37 PM
Brotherhood party renews call for national consensus govt

Muslim Brotherhood members at a press conference - Asmaa Wagih/Reuters

The Muslim Brotherhood's political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), has issued a statement on Wednesday calling for a national consensus government after the failure of interim Prime Minister Kamal El-Ganzouri’s cabinet to restore security and economic stability in Egypt.

The party said in a statement, posted on its website, that it recognises a need for a government that reflects the choices of the people in the last parliamentary elections and helps the people to achieve their desire for change.

In the last few weeks, the media have reported talks between the FJP and other parties, in particular Islamist forces, about the possibility of having a national consensus government. Sources speaking to the media even specified that the distribution of ministries would mainly be between the FJP, the Salafist Nour Party and Al-Gamaaa Al-Islamiya.

The FJP statement discussed the economic situation in Egypt criticising the government plan to borrow from the World Bank. The FJP questioned the government's decision to take funds from the international financial institution when there were other options Egypt could explore before resorting to external borrowing.

This action, the FJP say, "will overload Egypt’s future generations with burdens in which they had no hand in incurring."

The Brotherhood's party also slammed the new National Council of Women (NCW) which was recently reformed by the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. The FJP had previously suggested replacing the group with the National Council for Families. Last week, leaders of the Brotherhood accused the NCW of breaking family ties and of being a tool of the former regime because it used to be headed by Suzanne Mubarak.

Egypt's ruling military junta has announced on more than one occasion that El-Ganzouri's government will remain in power until the end of the transitional period after a president is elected at the end of June.

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