Reuters is reporting that the political party of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood is claiming that its alliance was leading in Egypt’s current election. According to the report:
(Reuters) – The Muslim Brotherhood’s party said on Wednesday its alliance was leading in Egypt’s election, which would give the nation’s oldest Islamist group a powerful parliamentary platform to challenge the authority of ruling army generals.State television said first-round results in Egypt’s first free election since army officers ousted the king in 1952 would be issued on Thursday, a day later than scheduled because of a high turnout in the largely peaceful poll. One party said it doubted the alliance led by the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party had won 40 percent of the vote, as stated by an FJP source, but other parties provided estimates that were in line with the figure.The results, if confirmed and repeated in the two remaining phases of a six-week election process, would position the Brotherhood to jostle for power with the military council that replaced Hosni Mubarak in February after a popular uprising….Full results of Egypt’s first election since Mubarak’s fall will not be known until after voting ends in mid-January. ……Two-thirds of 498 lower house seats will be allocated proportionally by party lists and a third to individuals. The FJP said early indications showed it was ahead in both races. In the party list race, it was followed by the ultra-conservative Islamist al-Nour Party and the liberal Egyptian Bloc, the FJP said in a statement.
It should be noted that the Muslim Brotherhood today has become a global network and that the Egyptian mother branch is not necessarily the most important part of the movement. Sheikh Youssef Qaradawi, close to Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, is often referred to by the GMBDW as the most important leader of the global Muslim Brotherhood, an acknowledgement of his role as the de facto spiritual leader of the movement. In 2004, Qaradawi turned down the offer to lead the Egyptian Brotherhood after the death of the Supreme Guide.