The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party will hold internal elections on Thursday to select its governorate secretaries and other leading members. Leading party member Ahmed Abu Baraka told Al-Masry Al-Youm that the party will launch its website soon and hold a celebration at a large Cairo hotel within the next ten days. "Representatives from parties and political trends will be invited," Baraka said. On Saturday, Brotherhood Deputy General Guide Khairat al-Shater called for putting an end to military trials of civilians, including figures from former President Hosni Mubarak's regime. Brotherhood members themselves have suffered a lot from military trials, Shater added. During a talk show on Al-Tahrir satellite TV channel, Shater said, that the group "has a lot of work to be done." "They need to contribute to building the Egyptian and Islamic nation,” Shater said, adding that the Brotherhood doesn't want to impose its Islamic vision on anyone. Shater stressed that Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh is still a member and said the Brotherhood ‘s Shura Council decision to not field a presidential candidate was made a day before the president's resignation. He said Abouel Fotouh attended the relevant meetings and that the group discussed the issue with him more than once. During a conference in Ismailia on Sunday, another Brotherhood member, Sobhi Saleh, said the group is not seeking power. Saleh said the Brotherhood will participate in the upcoming elections by contesting 49 percent of parliamentary seats, pointing out that even if they win all the seats, they will not gain a majority. He also said that the party's satellite TV channel and newspaper, to be launched soon, will help spread the group's ideas before elections. Translated from the Arabic Edition
