Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, in control of almost half the seats in parliament, has said it will field its own presidential candidate, reversing an earlier decision not to do so and escalating its confrontation with the nation's ruling generals and the group's secular and progressive critics.

A win by its candidate, the group's chief strategist and deputy leader Khairat al-Shater, would give the formerly outlawed movement a strong grip on both the country's legislative and executive branches.

The announcement at a Cairo news conference on Saturday ended weeks of speculation and confusion within the group, which believes Islamic principles should regulate all aspects of public and family life.

The decision split the group's governing Shura council, the group's legislative body, into two camps: one in favor of fielding a candidate from within and one against it, fearing the repercussions, according to a Brotherhood official. He spoke anonymously because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Egypt's press describe al-Shater as a multi-millionaire businessman and one of the Brotherhood's main financiers.
The movement's decision to nominate one of its own is likely to escalate the group's confrontation with the council of military generals, who are accused of seeking to preserve the army's privileges and are likely not to want too much power concentrated in the hands of a single group.

PHOTO CAPTION

Members of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood Mohammed al-Mursi (R), Mahmud Hussein, the group's secretary general, and Saad Al-Qatatni (L), take part in a press conference in Cairo in 2011.

Al-Jazeera