Ikhwanweb :: The Muslim Brotherhood Official English Website

 The Muslim Brotherhood has officially announced their engagement in the proposal package put forward by the parties and political forces under the name of ‘The People's Parliament’. In its weekly message ’The Muslim Brotherhood's opinion’, the group mentioned that it has decided to participate in the People's Parliament to prosecute bribery, corruption and fraud cases that took place during the last parliamentary elections. The parallel parliament works to reverse the legitimacy of the current parliament by all legal, informational and popular means, and aims to discuss the draft laws that concern the country in various fields, and help to reform state institutions from rampant corruption.
 
Dr. Ahmed Diab, deputy secretary-general of the MB parliamentary bloc and its representative in the People's Parliament, has noted: ’We are engaged under the name "The People's Parliament" that is contrary to a shadow or parallel parliament because we do not call for disabling state institutions but for comprehensive political reform overcoming the ruling regime's failed polices’.
 
‘A shadow parliament means that you are calling for a parallel parliament instead of the current parliament which is something that the group strongly rejects," he said, adding that the People's Parliament is a haven that encompasses parties and other political powers exerting pressure to invalidate the legitimacy of the newly-elected parliament, whose members won their seats by rigging the vote. Thus, the people's parliament does not violate the law or the Constitution.
 
The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) Shura Council member Mohamed Gamal Heshmat has registered the group's "objection" to President Hosni Mubarak or his son Gamal running in next year's presidential elections as long as it is likely that it is just another mock election.
 
‘Article 76 of the Constitution prevents the candidacy of any public figure for the presidency, and competition would be restricted among candidates of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) as the applicant to be accepted as a candidate for the presidency shall be supported by at least 250 elected members of the People's Assembly,’ said Heshmat.