Nour Party asks Morsy to define presidency relationship with other political forces

Sayed Mostafa, the vice president of the Salafi Nour Party, has called on Mohamed Morsy, the presidential candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood and its Freedom and Justice Party, to develop a vision for the presidency that would include all political and revolutionary forces.

Morsy was officially announced as the front-runner in the runoff scheduled for next month, competing with former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq over the top executive post.

“Morsy should announce this vision as soon as possible,” Mostafa said. “He should also describe the modus operandi of the presidential institution and identify the individuals who would work with him if he wins.”

He added that his party rejects that a single individual or force should monopolize power.

“Brotherhood leaders should explain why all political and revolutionary forces differed with them in the recent period,” he said. “They should also try to bring views closer together, which would encourage the political forces to rally voters behind the candidate of the revolution.”

Nour spokesman Mohamed Nour denounced calls for Morsy to withdraw from the race. “Those should have called for applying the law and dropping Shafiq instead of planting the seeds of discord in the nation,” he said, wondering why a candidate who won six million votes should give them to another.

Some political forces had asked Morsy to cede his position to leftist candidate Hamdeen Sabbahi in order to evade what many consider a hard choice between an Islamist and a remnant of the old regime.

A Nour Party leader had said earlier Monday that supporting Morsy is a religious duty.

“We have no other option,” said Shabaan Abdel Latif, the party’s secretary in the town of Ehnasia in Beni Suef.