CAIRO, April 2 (UPI) -- A decision to nominate a top deputy from the Muslim Brotherhood for president was the result of sluggish Egyptian democracy, a party leader said.
The Muslim Brotherhood's political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, announced the nomination of Muslim Brotherhood deputy leader Khairat al-Shater as its presidential candidate during the weekend.
FJP President Mohamed Morsy defended the nomination, stressing there are no efforts under way to monopolize the post-revolutionary political landscape in Egypt.
"We chose Shater when we noted sluggishness in the process of democratization and in the performance of the current government," he was quoted by the Egyptian Independent news service as saying.
Three members of the Muslim Brotherhood resigned after the announcement. The group had pledged not to field a candidate for presidential elections this year.
The FJP is one of the dominant groups in an Egyptian Parliament controlled largely by Islamist political parties. Last month, it denied reports that it, along with Islamist party al-Nour, had the majority of the seats on the constituent assembly tasked with drafting the country's post-revolution constitution.
The FJP claimed that Islamist parties make up 49 percent of the body.
Presidential elections in Egypt are scheduled for May.
