MADAM, Since Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak was forced to step down in February, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has been in control. This arrangement was intended to be temporary, and many protests continue in Cairo and around the country by people determined to send a message to the military that it must remain so. After the heady days of the Arab spring in Tahrir Square, Egyptians fear their longed-for democracy is being hijacked.
The Egyptian Armed Forces Council has now pushed back the date for parliamentary elections to September. Publically they have said that this is to allow more time for the creation of viable political parties. Critics have suggested that this is a reaction to Islamist forces flexing their muscles. With the delay until after the summer, the Muslim Brotherhood will have more time to organise and mobilise. I think that the delay to September offers opportunities as well as challenges, both for Egyptians who wish to see a functioning democracy and for those of us in the West who wish to support such an outcome.