Egypt must maintain course after elections

In Egypt's first free parliamentary elections the Islamist parties have won right across the board, occupying roughly 70 percent of the 498 seats in parliament. Meanwhile the country's much touted revolutionary youth is barely represented. Egypt still has a long way to go before it can be considered a stable democracy, writes the daily Dagens Nyheter: "The EU and US must keep an eye on the military and the Islamists. Encroachments must be criticised, but as long as the general direction is acceptable support should be made available. Human rights, political and religious rights are the basis of a democracy. That only two percent of the new members of parliament are women raises questions. The military should be subjected to civil controls as quickly as possible. The friendly relations with neighbouring countries, including Israel, must be protected. Egypt has already made considerable progress. Now it is important that it sticks to the course it has started out on."

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