CAIRO – In a rare appearance on state Egyptian TV, Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badei Sunday denied his influential group seeks to dominate the new parliament.
"We do not seek to win the majority of seats in the Parliament, nor do we have a nominee for presidency," Badei, a veterinary professor, said. The Muslim Brotherhood, whose candidates used to run for Parliament as independents, gained one fifth of the legislature in the 2005 elections, but won a single seat in last year's polls, which were swept by president Hosni Mubarak's party.
Dismissing as baseless claims that the Muslim Brotherhood have cut deals with the military rulers and other political powers ahead of the elections, Badei said: "We only conclude deals with the Egyptian citizen."
Officially banned since 1954 until last February, the Muslim Brotherhood was the target of frequent crackdown under Mubarak who ruled for nearly 30 years.
