Arab press: The time might be now

Analysts looked at the possible political scenarios following Egypt's parliamentary elections, writes Doaa El-Bey

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The Muslim Brotherhood has already secured 76 seats in the next parliament. It is highly likely that it will gain more seats in the third round starting today, thus realising its dream of having some 20 to 25 per cent of the People's Assembly 454 seats. This unexpected gain led Ghassan Al-Imam to raise the question, "is it time to recognise a religious party?" in the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat on Tuesday.

Al-Imam believed that recognising the Muslim Brotherhood will not benefit the group in any way at the present stage because their presence is a reality on the ground. However, official licensing of the group would force it to be more open and transparent. "Thus it should present its political programme so that the public can see how the group strikes a balance between Islam and democracy and to prove that it accepts democracy achieved through ballot boxes and the will of the people rather than the will of the rulers."

Imam added that licensing the Brotherhood would force it to open its conferences to the public to witness how the group elects its leaders and organises its ranks.

He also asked the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) to switch from the regime's party to a popular party that adopts a social project to help the poor.

Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Mahdi Akef said the results of the elections will raise the need to establish a political party on the pretext that the group is acquiring its legitimacy from the Egyptian street which voted for the group. "We will only submit a request for a political party when real political reform takes place and leads to the annulment of the Political Parties Committee which we consider illegal and unconstitutional," Akef told Al-Hayat on Sunday.

Abdel-Moneim Mustafa, an Egyptian journalist, regarded the results as a chance for the ruling party, the Muslim Brotherhood and the silent majority to work together to rattle the current political system. "When people voted for the Brotherhood, they meant to gently shake the system to reap the fruits of democracy and power-sharing and to cause real change rather than a ripple in the political system", Mustafa wrote in Asharq Al-Awsat on Sunday.

He added that the ruling party should respond to the recent results by reshaping the political system and allowing the formation of strong and capable political parties. In addition, the party could set the stage for sound and healthy political practices that are not crippled by emergency laws or fear.

Egyptian writer Salah Eissa wrote in Asharq Al-Awsat on Sunday that forming a government is the worst thing that could happen to the Muslim Brotherhood. Their mission in government will be more difficult than any other government because they entered the election campaign under the slogan 'Islam is the solution'. "As a ruling party, they will be forced to take decisions that do not conform with Islam. As a result, the group can lose the confidence of its members as well as its popularity."

Another Egyptian writer, Abdel-Rahim Ali, wrote that the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood is an indication of the extent of anger and frustration among the public over the performance of the ruling party. In search for change, the public chose the Brotherhood. However, Ali added that in order to gain the confidence of the people, the Muslim Brotherhood needs to abandon its dual political dialogue. "The Muslim Brotherhood has a political dialogue that it uses when it talks to political parties and the public, and a doctrinal dialogue it uses within their group. It needs to write a new political dialogue that suits the entire society," Ali wrote in Al-Sharq Al-Awsat on Monday.

Bassem Sakagha looked at election results as a real test of the influence of political Islam in Arab political life. "In spite of all the battles waged against the Muslim Brotherhood, it proved its complete control over one-quarter of the available political space," Sakagha wrote in the Jordanian daily Al-Destour on Monday.

He believed the election results showed that Arab societies were divided into two camps: the ruling parties that hold all the power and the Islamists who can influence the public. "There is no place to accommodate liberals or seculars," he said.

Sakagha added the results raise the chronic question of how the two sides can co-exist. He gave no answer.