Brotherhood leader calls for harmony with all factions

The leader of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood said yesterday he is prepared to compromise with the ruling military on the formation of a new government, and that fears of the "Islamisation" of the country are overblown. Mohammad Badie, the Brotherhood's general guide, spoke as Egyptians were voting in run-offs for the first round of parliamentary elections, which have been dominated by the fundamentalist group and the hard-line Al Nour bloc. "We must live in harmony not only with the military council, but with all of Egypt's factions, or else the conclusion is zero," Badie told the private Al Mehwar TV station. "There will be reconciliation between the three powers: the parliament, the government and the military ruling council." Committed to democracy His comments appeared to be an attempt to reassure Egyptians and foreign allies that the Brotherhood remains committed to democracy and does not want to take the country down an extremist path. The Brotherhood, Egypt's largest and best organised political group, grabbed about 37 per cent of the vote, according to partial results released on Sunday. But the Al Nour bloc won nearly a quarter of the vote for the ultraconservative Salafis, who seek to impose strict Islamic law in Egypt. The strong Islamist showing came at the expense of liberal activist groups that led the uprising against Hosni Mubarak, toppling a regime long seen as a secular bulwark in the Middle East. Elections which began on November 28 are staggered over three stages and conclude in March. They are the first since Mubarak's removal and the freest and fairest in living memory.