Egypt's April 6 Youth Movement has declared its support for Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate Mohamed Morsi, movement spokesman Mohamed Afifi confirmed via Twitter on Tuesday.

According to April 6 founder Ahmed Maher, the decision came following three weeks of negotiations between revolutionary figures, parties and coalitions.

"It's either the former regime or the revolution; we have no third choice," said Maher, stressing that – despite disagreements – the Muslim Brotherhood had represented an "element of the revolution" that culminated in the fall of the Mubarak regime.

Maher went on, however, to criticise the Islamist group's alleged pact with the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), along with the failure of revolutionary presidential candidates to unitein the first round of Egypt's presidential vote.

In a statement published later on Tuesday, April 6 announced that Morsi had promised to appoint a vice president unaffiliated with the Brotherhood'sFreedom and Justice Party(FJP) – which holds almost half of the seats in parliament – along with a coalition government headed up by a figure unaffiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.

The youth movement further stated that Morsi had signed on to the so-called 'National Consensus Document.' The document, which has been endorsed by several revolutionary groups including 6 April, includes the following stipulations:

1. Formation of a Constituent Assembly tasked with drafting a new constitution representative of all segments of Egyptian society.

2. The appointment of eliminated presidential candidatesHamdeen SabbahiandAbdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh– or whoever is chosen by them – as vice presidents.

3. Morsi's resignation from both the FJP and the Muslim Brotherhood.

4.Formation ofa coalition government made up of technocrats to be headed by a non-FJP member.

5. The retrial of those accused of killing unarmed protesters and implementation of other revolutionary demands (setting a minimum wage, ending the emergency law, etc).

Maher, for his part, vowed that, if Morsi failed to keep his promises, a new "revolutionary front" would be formed to confront him.

The statement also called on Abul-Fotouh and Sabbahi, along with Constitution Party co-founder Mohamed ElBaradei, to support the desired coalition government to "save the revolution."

"If Shafiq wins the runoff, Egypt might be stuck in a dark tunnel for some time," said Maher. He went on to condemnShafiq's presidential bid, which he described as "Illegal."

In recent weeks, April 6 – along with other revolutionary groups – has staged several demonstrations to call for the implementation of a Political Disenfranchisement Law, which, if applied, could see Mubarak's last PM barred from vying for Egypt's highest office.

https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/44667.aspx