Egypt Brotherhood candidate woos rivals for vote

The Muslim Brotherhood candidate in Egypt's presidential election run-off sought to broaden his appeal on Tuesday, promising he would govern in coalition with others and would not impose Islamic strictures such as the veil on women.   

Mohamed Mursi, 60, who is competing against former air force chief Ahmed Shafiq, 70, a former cohort of ousted president Hosni Mubarak, listed concessions to win support from rival politicians and groups.   

"I am committed to the presidency being an institution. It will never be an individual," Mursi told his first news conference since the election committee confirmed on Monday he was in the run-off vote.   

In a bid to win the backing of competitors who lost the race, he said he wanted t o appoint v ice-presidents from outside the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) and said the prime minister need not be a member either.   

The cabinet would be a coalition of all groups represented in parliament, he said.   

Mursi, a stocky, bespectacled man who has often appeared stiff in public but seemed more animated and relaxed than at  previous events, pledged to quit the FJP if elected.   

Though he and his rival Shafiq each took almost a quarter of votes cast, a big chunk of Egypt's 50 million eligible voters are wary of having either a conservative Islamist or a former military man linked to Mubarak in charge. Some say they will not vote in the run-off on June 16 and 17.   

An arson attack on Shafiq's campaign headquarters and  criticism of Mursi have highlighted the polarization and  disappointment of many ordinary Egyptians, adding tension in the final stages of a formal transition from the army rule to a new president by July 1.   

Mursi pledged to implement Islamic sharia law during public rallies, although he gave few details about what that would mean in practice. This has worried Christians, who make up a tenth of Egypt's 82 million people, many of whom backed Shafiq. More liberal-minded Muslims are also concerned.   

Reuters