Islamic presidential candidate Mohamed Morsi is promising to bring democracy to Egypt if he wins the upcoming presidency, CNN is reporting. Despite vowing to stand for women’s rights and peaceful relations with Israel, Morsi has also argued for barring women from the Egyptian presidency and has called Israeli leaders killers.
Analysts are saying Morsi is focusing his campaign on appealing to the broadest audience. There are questions over what direction Morsi, who leads the Freedom and Justice Party, would steer the country.
Morsi’s party emphasizes that he protested repressive measures and oppressive practices under President Hosni Mubarak’s regime. However, Isobel Coleman of the Council on Foreign Relations said in a CNN column that he represents the older, more conservative wing of the Brotherhood and openly endorses a strict Islamic vision.
Morsi is insisting that he has no plans to introduce a fundamentalist Islamic theocracy. He said his party’s seeking “an executive branch that represents the people’s true will and implements their public interests.”
While Morsi wasn’t originally his party’s candidate for the presidency, he vows he would keep women’s rights equal to men. He added that he would also maintain his country’s 1979 accord with Israel, as long as Israel respects it.
Written by: Karen Benardello
