Islamists and Liberals Form Coalition in Egypt

The Washington Post reports:

Egypt’s most organized and powerful Islamist movement on Monday announced it intends to join forces with one of the nation’s oldest liberal parties, presenting a formidable coalition for upcoming parliamentary elections.

The alliance would unite the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party and the Wafd Party, a liberal party established just after World War I, to run on one candidate list in the elections scheduled for September. The move is likely to be a significant boost for the Brotherhood, a well-organized political group hat expects to take a third of parliament’s seats.

The move surprised some analysts because of the long-standing rivalry between the two groups, and likely startled some secularists and liberals.

“Now that this coalition exists, it will dictate the electoral outcome,” said Essam el-Erian, vice president of the Freedom and Justice Party and former member of the Brotherhood’s guidance bureau. Erian said that the coalition is open and encourages others to join.

“We want a parliament that represents the entire nation, with all its political tendencies and forces,” he said.