The results of elections to the Muslim Brotherhood's 16-member Guidance Bureau in Egypt are being interpreted as a victory for the conservative camp amid a growing rift with reformist elements.

The wing now dominating the movement is more focused on the religious aspects and is not in touch with the political reality on the ground, according to one analyst. There are suggestions that the Brotherhood will now focus more on its survival than its political impact – which is no doubt a satisfactory outcome for the Egyptian regime as it seeks a smooth transfer of power from Hosni Mubarak to his son, Gamal. 

Writing for the Christian Science Monitor, Ursula Lindsey sees the Brotherhood's internal conflict as partly a battle between generations, with the older conservatives holding the upper hand.

Marc Lynch at foreignpolicy.com says the result probably signals "a withdrawal from political engagement" in the face of repression and political manipulation by the regime which has "slammed the door in the face of MB efforts to be democrats". 

But he says the real question is "whether the frustrated reformists will split from the MB and form a new political movement ... something the MB has largely avoided in the past, but which now looms large on the horizon".

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 22 December 2009.