Egypt's fundamentalists win two-thirds of vote

MUSLIM FUNDAMENTALIST parties took nearly two-thirds of the vote in the first round of Egypt’s parliamentary election, capitalising on the secular liberal-led uprising that freed them to participate in political life.

The moderate Muslim Brotherhood’s political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party, won 36.6 per cent of the 9.7 million valid ballots cast in the November 28th round, the hardline Salafi Noor Party won 24.4 per cent; and Wasat, a party established by dissident centrist Muslim Brothers, 4.3 per cent.

The Egyptian Bloc, comprising three liberal parties, won 13.4 per cent and the Wafd, Egypt’s oldest party founded in 1919, garnered 7.1 per cent.

Parties established by the revolutionaries who toppled president Hosni Mubarak in February did not make a serious showing.

Freedom and Justice has said it will not form a coalition with Noor, which advocates the imposition of Islamic canon law, but could achieve a majority by recruiting Wasat, the Egyptian Bloc and the Wafd.

Fundamentalists could win an even larger portion of the vote in the coming two rounds of polling, set for mid-December and early January, as many voters live in devout rural constituencies.

The strong showing of the Salafis, outlawed and persecuted by the Mubarak regime, surprised Egyptian pundits.

The Salafis, said to be sponsored by Saudi Arabia, clearly owe their success to liberal funding, superior organisation and mistrust of the brotherhood due to its co-operation with the Mubarak regime during that administration’s 30 years in power.