(Newser)
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Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood had planned to wait until June for the military to hand over power—but now it says that's not soon enough. The Islamist group now says the military must let Parliament—led by the Brotherhood—form a coalition government, thus replacing the current prime minister and Cabinet. The Brotherhood's calls for change come just before the one-year anniversary of Hosni Mubarak's exit, as the current government struggles with violent protests, the potential loss of American aid, and an imperiled economy, the New York Times reports.
"We must start the formation of a coalition government immediately, to deal in particular with the economic situation and the state of lawlessness in this homeland," said a top Brotherhood figure in an online statement. "Dealing with the demonstrators violently is a mistake, a sign of weakness and mismanagement by the Ministry of Interior." But even as Brotherhood leaders echo liberals' calls to reject military control, liberal party heads refuse to form a coalition to achieve the goal. "The liberals would prefer to be in opposition to monitor and leave it to the Brotherhood to implement their control," says one.
