Egypt’s Mursi wants united country

CAIRO: President-elect Mohamed Mursi tried to ease the turmoil that has rocked Egypt since the uprising 16 months ago, reaching out yesterday to Christians, women and secular revolutionaries to join his government.

Even prominent opponents of Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood gave cautious support for his effort to end military rule after the generals issued a series of last-minute decrees to try to keep their grip on power.

But it remained unclear how much power the military was willing to cede – and how much authority the Brotherhood intends to retain for itself.

Dina Zakariya, a Mursi campaign spokeswoman, said the only way forward was to create a national unity government that represents all political forces and all Egyptians.

“The country lived for so long in corruption. No single party can take full responsibility” for tackling the nation’s problems, she said.

Mursi was declared the winner on Sunday of the first free presidential election in Egypt’s modern history, becoming the first Islamist and the first civilian to hold the office.

The deeply polarising race pitted Mursi against Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq.

Many liberals who drove the uprising, as well as women and minority Christians, were despondent over the choice between a vestige of the old regime and a candidate they fear might impose stricter Islamic law in Egypt and limit personal freedoms.

In an effort to assuage those fears, Mursi and his Brotherhood have floated the names of respected liberals, women and Christians to join his government.

Critics warn that if the Brotherhood does not create a broad-based government, it will be blamed for failing to fix the economy, surging crime and deteriorating social conditions in Egypt.

“Mursi promised that the prime minister post will be assigned to an independent, not because the Brotherhood loves independents but because they fear failure,” said Mohammed el-Gebbah, a former Brotherhood member. “The burden is too heavy and they want someone to carry it with them.” – Sapa-AP