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The Muslim Brotherhood's Shrewd Election Tactics
(National Review) Samuel Tadros - On Oct. 21, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, as a member of the Democratic Alliance coalition, announced the coalition's lists of candidates in 20 of 27 governates. (After numerous defections, today the Alliance includes few parties other than the Brotherhood.) The Muslim Brotherhood broke its declared promise to run for only 50% of the seats. In fact, the Brotherhood is running for 77% of the total seats in parliament. Its decision not to field a single Christian candidate reflects the pressure the Brotherhood is feeling from its more radical competitors, the Salafis' Islamist Alliance. It is important to note the Brotherhood's high focus on the Shura Council (Egypt's higher chamber), which will be equally responsible with the lower chamber for selecting the members of the constitutional drafting committee. Other than the Brotherhood, few are fielding Shura Council candidates. The writer is a research fellow at the Hudson Institute's Center for Religious Freedom.