CAIRO, June 8 (UPI) -- The Muslim Brotherhood is in agreement with Mohammed ElBaradei that political reform in Egypt is a significant objective, deputy leaders said in Cairo.
Members of the Muslim Brotherhood failed to secure seats on the Egyptian upper house of parliament, or Shura council, during elections last week. The group ran 12 candidates as independents but dampened its expectations amid pressure from the ruling National Democratic Party.
The Muslim Brotherhood said its candidates and supporters were harassed or otherwise intimidated at polling stations.
Voter turnout is historically low for Shura council elections.
Rashad Bayoumi, the deputy chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood, said his group was moving forward with talks with ElBaradei on the importance of political reform, the banned movement said through its Ikhwanweb site.
Bayoumi said despite ideological differences, the Muslim Brotherhood embraced the change platform of ElBaradei.
ElBaradei returned to Cairo in February following his tenure as the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog.
ElBaradei is rumored to be positioning himself as a presidential contender for 2011 elections, though he maintains he is acting as an agent of change.
Hosni Mubarak, the 82-year-old incumbent, hasn't made his intentions known. He took office in 1981 following the assassination of President Anwar Sadat.
