Egypt's Sissi: Muslim Brotherhood, Morsi are 'Finished' | WPN World People News

Egypt's former army chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi says the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood has no future in Egypt if he wins the country's presidential election later this month.

Sissi is widely favored, and said during an interview aired Monday that the Brotherhood and ousted president Mohamed Morsi are "finished."

"I want to say to you that it is not me who put an end to them. You, the Egyptians, put an end to them. The Egyptians said 'no'. On the 30th of June they said no, and now they are saying no. Their problem is not with me personally. The problem is with the Egyptian people," said Sissi.

Sissi referenced the June 30 protests last year that brought millions into the streets to demonstrate against Morsi just a year into his presidency. His critics accused him of trying to monopolize power and failing to fix Egypt's economy. Sissi, then serving as army chief, pushed Morsi from power days later.

Morsi was the first Egyptian president who did not come from military ranks. Sissi, who retired from the military in March to launch his candidacy, said Monday the army will "not have a role in ruling Egypt."

The Muslim Brotherhood swept all elections following the 2011 popular uprising against longtime leader Hosni Mubarak, but has been blacklisted as a "terrorist organization" by Egypt's interim leaders.

The army-backed government has led a crackdown on the group, arresting much of its top leadership. Clashes between protesters and security forces have left more than 1,000 people dead, most of them Islamists.

Since Morsi's ouster, Egypt has also seen attacks by militants spread from the restive Sinai Peninsula to other cities, including the capital, Cairo.

Source: Voice of America