Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood Mohamed Badie has said Egypt's current circumstances require the coordination of efforts to lift the country out of the crises stifling it.
In his weekly statement, Badie called on all national and revolutionary powers to revive the "revolutionary spirit which prevailed in the first days of the revolution," and to put the country's interest over their own narrower personal, professional and partisan interests.
He also called for respecting the popular will and the rules of democracy, whatever the outcome may be.
Badie emphasized the need to keep the revolution peaceful despite difficulties on the road to change, and to insist on the peaceful handover of power at the scheduled time through a clean, unrigged election.
The supreme guide stressed the need for a constitution "that reflects the public will and meets the hopes and ambitions of the people."
"Legislation must be purged of laws issued by the former regime to legitimize oppression and protect corruption. Liberties should be protected by law because the Egyptian people have paid dearly for this freedom over dozens of years and will therefore not allow anyone to strip them of it after they tasted its sweetness," he said.
Badie added that making use of the experiences of other countries is acceptable, saying the Brotherhood did so when preparing its "renaissance project."
He emphasized the need to cooperate with Arab countries, saying it will help Egypt achieve its renaissance and adding that the weakness of the Arab world "results from Egypt's own weakness."
He also said there is a need to establish a common Arab market and bolster relations with African countries, particularly those of the Nile Basin.
Badie said that the people trusted the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to govern, and that it is regrettable that the interim period was extended, delaying the purging of state institutions from corruption, hampering democratic development, and suspending economic development by driving away investors.
The Brotherhood, which has 40 percent of the seats in Parliament, has been pushing for the removal of the current cabinet for weeks. The Brotherhood's insistence on cabinet change has stressed its relations with the ruling SCAF, which announced limited cabinet changes on Wednesday.
Morsy is the Brotherhood's candidate in the presidential election slated for 23-24 May. Opinion polls do not show him to be a favored candidate. One such poll suggested that Morsy, who replaced Khairat al-Shater — the Brotherhood's first choice, who was ousted from the race — will not get Shater’s votes by default.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
