CAIRO, June 27 (UPI) -- Drafting a new constitution before parliamentary elections would provoke a confrontation with the military council, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood said.
The ruling military council in Egypt called for parliamentary elections in September. Work would then begin on drafting a new constitution.
Critics complain drafting the constitution after the elections would give established Islamist parties like the Muslim Brotherhood the upper hand in formulating new laws.
Essam al-Erian, deputy chairman of the Muslim Brotherhood, was quoted by Egyptian daily newspaper al-Masry al-Youm as saying political transformation must proceed as planned.
"We criticized the military council many times and still are," he said. "We say that if the council changes the road map charted by the constitutional declaration, we will be the first party to confront it."
The Muslim Brotherhood was banned from competing openly in Egyptian politics under the regime of Hosni Mubarak. The group, founded in the 1920s, won 20 percent of the parliamentary seats in 2005 by fielding its candidates as independents.
It was wiped off the political map last year in elections widely criticized by the international community and is now organizing its political activity under the Freedom and Justice Party.
The Muslim Brotherhood said it wasn't fielding a candidate for president in upcoming elections, though at least one member was barred from the organization for announcing his intentions to run later this year.
