20110423
reuters

CAIRO (Reuters) - Political groups with a secular vision of Egypt are racing to build a coalition to compete against the nation's better established Islamists in parliamentary elections planned for September.

Their challenge is to create a united force out of what was largely an Internet-based, youth-led campaign that appealed to national pride over religion to bring hundreds of thousands of people into the streets in February and end President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule.

They face tough opponents. The Muslim Brotherhood, for one.

Officially banned but allowed some political space under Mubarak, it is best positioned to benefit from a quick vote. It says it aims to win 35 to 40 percent of the seats in Parliament.

The Islamist group that took a back seat in the early part of the uprising that toppled Mubarak on February 11 has a grass-roots network, financial muscle and broad appeal in a country where conservative Muslim values are common.

"The biggest challenge is of course illiteracy, ignorance and the ability of groups that use religion to taint the image of all the civil parties by labeling them atheists or against religion," said Emad Gad, a leading member of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, a liberal group that is trying to organize.

"We are trying to form a large, strong coalition before the elections," Mr. Gad said in an interview. He added that the coalition should unite "all the powers in support of a civil state based on citizenship and equality."