- CAIRO: The Muslim Brotherhood, whose party is leading Egypt's staggered parliamentary election, came out Thursday against bringing forward a presidential vote to end military rule, saying changing the timetable would wreak chaos.
Protesters who fought soldiers and police in central Cairo for five days before calm was restored this week want the army to cede power more swiftly.
Many Egyptians want a presidential vote by Jan. 25, the first anniversary of the start of the uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak. The vote is now planned for mid-2012.
Essam El-Erian, deputy head of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), said his group backed the army timetable to hand power to an elected president by July. "I think that is better than arranging it as soon as possible because this may create chaos," he told Reuters.