PRESS RELEASE - FORWARD THINKING welcomes the announcement that Dr. Mohammad Morsi of the Freedom and Justice Party has won Egypt's presidential election

London, Tuesday 26th June 2012In March 2012, Forward Thinking facilitated the visit of the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party’s first official delegation to the UK, arranging meetings for the delegation with UK media, parliamentarians and the public. During that visit they presented a comprehensive plan which aimed to give authority back to the Egyptian people, to build civil society and to provide Egyptians with access to their basic human rights of education, healthcare, jobs, investment and business-building opportunities. It remains to be seen how much power President elect Morsi will be given and how much the SCAF will allow him to achieve this ambitious plan.Whatever the concerns regarding the future governance of the country, the Egyptian presidential election marks the beginning of a new political era for that country. Whoever eventually wins the behind-scenes struggle for political control, the fact stands that there has been a fundamental shift in the mindset of the population as a whole. Mubarak was ousted because people were no longer prepared to tolerate a regime that showed total disregard for their individual dignity and a natural desire to determine the way in which they were governed.  The newly elected political leadership will have to realize that this is the era of accountability.No party or individual can presume to rule Egypt without the consent of the people.  From our own in-depth conversations with members of the Muslim Brotherhood over the past 8 years, we know that they are acutely aware that, if they fail to deliver on their promises, they will be ousted by the same people who elected them to power. After years of oppression and demonisation by the successive regimes, the Muslim Brotherhood will have an opportunity to prove their commitment to the values of freedom and justice.