Egypt's future hangs in balance

For a long time, Egypt has had three major political forces - secular political parties, the military and the Islamist (and Islamic) parties led by the Muslim Brotherhood. The military had backed the secular governments and kept MB under check for decades, though the party's candidates began contesting elections as independents at the turn of the century. Now, they have won the parliamentary elections.

Even after the ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak, the three remain the main political forces in Egypt. But the balance of power has undergone a radical change. The National Democratic Party of Egypt, the largest secular party, was dissolved in 2011. Secular forces were seriously weakened, while the Islamists saw an unprecedented rise in their support.

During the Mubarak era, Egypt had 20-odd political parties, while now there are more than 40 - 12 Islamic political parties, nine political parties formed by members of the now dissolved NDP, six centrist parties, five liberal parties, five center-left parties, two (former president Abdel) Nasserist parties, two socialist parties, a few old political parties such as the Umma, and some parties without political affiliations or clear political views.