EGYPT/ Fattah (Muslim Brotherhood): Christians will be safer with my party in Parliament

"No one should fear the victory of the Muslim Brotherhood in the elections. We believe in alternation and we are ready to face another election in one or two years the voters to judge us again." This is the statement by Abdel Fattah Hasan, a leading figure of the Freedom and Justice Party, an expression of the Muslim Brotherhood, on the election victory in Egypt. They won at least 34 of the 52 seats in the first level of the elections, which is about a third of the national constituencies. As Fattah said to Ilsussidiario.net, "the only change we intend to make to the make-up of the state is to go from the presidential regime to a parliamentary republic". He adds: "Now our party is able to ensure that the police never massacre Christians like they did on October 9 this year".

How do you explain the fact that the Muslim Brotherhood, which remained in the background during the revolution, has just won the first free elections in Egypt's history?
I wish the entire West knew something fundamental: voters always choose the candidates who are close to them, in good times and in bad. For years, the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood suffered the tortures of the former totalitarian regime. They drew close to the people with their charity to the poor and needy and they organized meetings of social reconciliation between families and tribes to prevent the outbreak of feuds. Despite the distortions of the media against us, people will not believe what they hear on television, but will believe in the courteous behavior and direct contact with the candidates of the Party of Freedom and Justice. This is the main reason for our victory. Ours is a mature people, well able to distinguish between the politicians present in the area and those who would like to arrive in Parliament by parachute.

In the coming weeks there will be two other levels of elections. What final result do you expect for your party?
I am not able to predict the final result, but I know with certainty that it depends on how important each candidate is in each constituency. Everything will depend on direct contact with voters. In the elections on December 14, Freedom and Justice has many candidates who are very popular in Egypt, like Essam El-Erian, the vice president of the party, and Gamal Heshmat, a former representative for the Middle Delta. There are a high number of parties ready to challenge us, however, and among others, we particularly fear competition from the historic Al-Wafd Party.

The Egyptian Christians are terrified by the victory of the party of the Muslim Brotherhood. Are their fears well founded?