Muslim Bros. undecided about boycott

Muslim Bros. undecided about boycott

The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt hasn’t decided whether to boycott parliamentary elections scheduled for November, a spokesman said.

Mohamed ElBaradei, a former nuclear watchdog chief turned opposition leader in Egypt, called for a boycott of parliamentary elections scheduled for November.

“Anyone who participates in the vote, either as a candidate or as a voter, goes against the national will”, he said in a Sept. 7 statement carried by al-Jazeera.

The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt is backing a petition drive launched by ElBaradei that calls on Cairo to reform the government. A general boycott would require the backing of the group, which is divided over the issue.

Mohamed Morsy, a spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood, said the political movement hasn’t decided on the November election. He said that in principle, the group would participate in any election that it considered free and fair, the Muslim Brotherhood announced through its Ikhwanweb site.

Morsy said each political entity in Egypt is entitled to an independent course, adding ElBaradei’s positions were “non-binding.”

The Muslim Brotherhood took several seats in the Egyptian Parliament by running their candidates as independents. ElBaradei has suggested he would consider a run for president of Egypt in 2011 if Cairo offered more access to the political process.