Islamist electoral fortunes have been taking a nose-dive since the successful -- "Islam is the Solution" -- campaign of 1987, in which an "Islamic Alliance" of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, the Labour and Liberal parties captured a staggering 78 parliamentary seats. In this week's instalment of Al-Ahram Weekly's survey of the forthcoming parliamentary elections' main contenders, Amira Howeidy finds the much weakened Brotherhood determined to hold on, while Khaled Dawoud looks at Labour's exit from parliamentary politics
The Brothers' last sigh?
Internal dissension and close-to-zero tolerance of the illegal group by the state have combined to drastically weaken the country's oldest and largest Islamist organisation. It remains to be seen whether the forthcoming election will reverse the group's declining political stature or set it on a course of dissolution
Running as religious duty
Essam El-Erian, 47, is possibly the most prominent representative of the new generation of Brotherhood leaders, viewed as dynamic, pragmatic and more open to new ideas and interaction with other political and ideological trends. --read on--
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Closing the circle
It all began with then President Anwar El-Sadat "lending" veteran politician Ibrahim Shukri a few ruling party MPs to help him found his Socialist Labour Party. But political destiny moves in mysterious ways: The govenrment-fostered party would become its fiercest opponent; the moderate socialist group would turn, at the hands of former Marxists, into a firebrand advocate of Islamism; and the government that helped found the party would close it down. Labour will run "symbolically" in the forthcoming election
Flat tires but no regrets
Adel Hussein, secretary-general of the now-frozen Labour Party, denies responsibility for leading the Islamist-oriented group to a final showdown with the government.--read on--
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