The Muslim Brotherhood turned down a pro-revolution initiative to form a presidential council and call off the second round of the presidential election, said Hussein Ibrahim, leader of the parliamentary bloc of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice party.

Competing in the second round, scheduled for June 16 - 17, are the Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi and former Mubarak premier Ahmed Shafiq.

Calls to form a presidential council only represent a sector of revolutionaries, including ex-presidential candidates and some public figures, not all, Ibrahim told Aswat Masriya.

Ibrahim stressed on the importance of proceeding with the second round of the election for the larger interest of the nation and in order to rebuild the rest of state institutions.

He denounced attempts to form a presidential council, accusing those involved in proposing the initiative of abusing popular rage for personal gains.

Nationwide protests broke out upon announcing the verdicts of former regime figures.