President Morsi must be held accountable for his failure to manage the country during this period of crisis and he should call early presidential elections, Strong Egypt Party founder Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh has said.

Abul-Fotouh, a former presidential candidate, was speaking at a press conference in the Nile Delta governorate of Gharbiya on Sunday.

“President Morsi thought he could rule the country through his group [the Muslim Brotherhood]. But this is not right, the president can’t rule successfully unless he is surrounded by the people,” he added.

Abul-Fotouh said the Muslim Brotherhood should withdraw from politics and focus on religious preaching.

“The people are paying the price for the mixing of religion and politics,” he said.

Abul-Fotouh was a member of the Brotherhood's Guidance Bureau from 1987 until 2009. He left the group after the January 25 Revolution when he defied the group's official policy by declaring he would stand in presidential elections.

Abul-Fotouh was an early frontrunner in the presidential race but eventually finished fourth.

He formed the Strong Egypt Party in October 2012.

Abul-Fotouh made similar comments about the need for early presidential elections when he was in Doha earlier this month.