Army and Brotherhood—the last great battle?

Jerusalem Post ^ | 04/15/2012 04:22 | Zvi Mazel

[Olog-hai]

With Khairat el Shater and Omar Suleiman vying for the presidency, the long simmering conflict between the Brotherhood and the SCAF has turned into open warfare.

Ever since Hosni Mubarak’s ouster conventional wisdom had it that there was some form of understanding between the army and the Brothers. The generals, accepting the fact that the Brotherhood was the main political force that would rule Egypt in the coming years, were keen to make a deal.

The army would keep its special status and its immunity under the new regime—and in return would support the Brotherhood and let them draw up the new constitutional framework. …

However, all that is in the past. Suddenly the Brothers have 47% of the seats in the new parliament, and together with the Salafists can muster nearly three quarters. Now they are flexing their muscles.

They want the Ganzouri government to resign; they threaten to pass a no-confidence motion. They have the votes for it.

The parliament has already blamed the government for the sorry economic situation.

A communiqué issued by the Brothers accuses the SCAF-appointed government of attempting, at its bidding, to tamper with the results of the referendum on the constitution and of the presidential election. These are very serious allegations which the army angrily refuted with a communiqué of its own. …