Egypt’s Islamic parties led by the Muslim Brotherhood clinched two thirds of seats in Parliament in historic polls after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, official results showed on Jan 21. The Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) won 235 seats in the new People’s Assembly, or 47.18 per cent, electoral committee head Abdel Moez Ibrahim told a news conference, giving the final results from marathon polls. The FJP secured 127 seats on party lists and its candidates won another 108 in first-past-the-post constituency votes. The Al-Nur party came second with 121 seats or 24.29 per cent, and the liberal Wafd Party was third with nearly 9 per cent. The Egyptian Bloc — which includes the Free Egyptians party of telecoms magnate Naguib Sawiris who is facing trial on allegations of insulting Islam — came fourth with around 7 per cent.
During a TV interview, MB Chairman Dr. Mohamed Badie said that the MB is pondering over the intricate details and strategies of how to best achieve real progress and rejuvenation for Egypt. Dr. Badie pointed out that the elected parliament is entitled to hold to task all state institutions, particularly the military establishment, and no institution should be above the rule of the people, adding that Parliament has the authority to determine the budget of the military through a special committee that will be set up for the purpose, with an eye to protecting Egypt’s borders and safeguarding its security.