Parliament ‘without opposition’ in Egypt

A demonstrator shouts anti-government slogans during a protest against vote rigging and fraud during the parliamentary elections in front of a news syndicate in Cairo. (Reuters)

By AGENCIES

Published: Dec 1, 2010 00:18 Updated: Dec 1, 2010 00:18

CAIRO: Egypt’s leading opposition group dismissed on Tuesday the results of parliamentary elections as “invalid,” but nevertheless said its candidates would participate in weekend runoffs.

The Muslim Brotherhood said Monday its lawmakers may be almost entirely swept out of Parliament by what it said was rampant rigging, intimidation and vote-buying — allegations echoed by rights groups.

That would be a huge blow to the most powerful opposition group, which shocked the ruling National Democratic Party in the last election in 2005 by winning 88 seats, or a fifth of Parliament.

According to government daily Al-Ahram, the National Democratic Party (NDP) won more than 170 of 508 parliamentary seats outright while the Muslim Brotherhood failed to win a single seat outright.

“An assembly without opposition,” ran the headline of the independent daily Al-Shuruk, adding that “the NDP will essentially be competing against itself” in next Sunday’s voting.

Al-Ahram and Al-Masri Al-Yom newspapers said the secular opposition only won six seats, three of which went to the liberal Wafd party.

Brotherhood leader Mohammed Badie said President Hosni Mubarak’s government had broken its promise to hold clean elections, but vowed his group would not resort to violence.

“We will not allow anyone to tempt us into breaking the law,” he told a news conference. “Whatever is built on falsehood is false,” he added. “The election is invalid.”

Amnesty International urged Egypt on Tuesday to investigate the reported deaths of eight people during election and not ignore “damning footage of violence and intimidation.”

“The Egyptian authorities must now open independent investigations into the deaths and allegations of violence that have, once again, cast a bloody shadow over election day,” said Amnesty’s Middle East director Malcolm Smart.

International watchdogs and independent Egyptian observers have reported widespread violence, vote-rigging and the intimidation of opposition candidates, with the Independent Coalition for Election Observers saying 83 violations took place in 13 of Egypt’s 30 provinces.

The government insists the vote was marked by a “high degree of transparency,” although the Interior Ministry reported at least three people were killed by gunfire in clashes between supporters of rival candidates.