CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt's main opposition Muslim Brotherhood has begun voting for a new leader despite disputes over the process, senior members said.
"The elections have started and the process is ongoing," Muslim Brotherhood leader Mahdi Akef, who has said he will step down when his term ends in January, told Reuters.
Other members said voting began over the weekend, and deputy leader Mohamed Habib said results were now being tallied. Egypt's Al Dustur newspaper said top candidates for the leadership post included Mohamed Ezzat, secretary general of the group, and Mohamed Badi, a senior member of its guidance bureau. Habib, named by Akef as deputy leader, had wanted to postpone the leadership vote until after elections for a new 115-member shura council due in July. He told Reuters he thought the vote was rushed. The internal dispute could weaken the Brotherhood ahead of elections to the country's parliament in late 2010. "This is the biggest crisis of its kind since 1954," political analyst Diaa Rashwan told Reuters, referring to a violent government crackdown on the group in that year.
