Leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood Ali Bateekh stated on Monday that the Brotherhood will not be nominating a candidate for the presidential race and nor will it be backing a candidate belonging to an Islamist party or movement.
Bateekh is a member of the Brotherhood's Shura Council, a group responsible for the planning and charting of general policies of the movement.
According to Bateekh the next president of the country should not be represent one trend in society but should rather Egypt as a whole. Further the president should neither be too involved in defending the Islamist trend over the liberal trend or vice versa.
While the Brotherhood will not be backing a presidential candidate belonging to an Islamist party of movement, the candidate should have an Islamist orientation. The candidate should be able to balance between Islamists and liberals.
Bateeekh added that presidential authorities will be minimised in Egypt's new political system, thus, the next president will no longer be the sole power. The new government that is to be formed soon will be a consensus government.
The Brotherhood has repeatedly announced they would not be nominating a presidential candidate but that they would announce the candidate they would be backing after the presidential candidacy registration period is ended and all nominees are known.
Many non-Islamist forces suspected there has been a deal between the Brotherhood and the ruling military council that they would back a "consensus president", one both agreed upon. Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed Badie has, however, denied any such plan.
