Egyptian presidency dismisses claims of vote fixing and fraud

EGYPT’S presidency yesterday dismissed opposition protests over the final result of the country’s parliamentary election and calls for the incoming parliament to be dissolved.

The ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) won more than 85 per cent of the seats in balloting on November 28th and December 5th while opposition parties secured just 3 per cent.

After the NDP took 209 out of the 211 seats declared in the first round, its two main challengers, the Muslim Brotherhood and the liberal Wafd, announced a boycott of the second run-off round. According to the final result the NDP won 439 of the 508 elected seats, independents largely affiliated with the NDP won 50 and opposition parties 15. The Brotherhood, which had 88 seats or 20 per cent, in the outgoing assembly, was nearly wiped out, with only one winning candidate.

The Wafd secured six seats, the same number it won in the 2005 poll, becoming the largest opposition party. The second, with five seats, was Tagammu, the much-reduced heir of the Socialist Union dominant during the time of president Gamal Abdel Nasser (1952-70). Four seats have been allocated to four small opposition parties which did not secure places, including al-Ghad – the party headed by Ayman Nour who has served two terms of imprisonment for challenging the regime.

Fifty-five of the 64 seats reserved for women were taken by the NDP. President Hosni Mubarak will appoint 10 members to represent Egypt’s Coptic Christians and other minorities, making a total of 518.

The prime minister, Ahmed Nazif, who characterised the election as the best in Egypt’s history, challenged the idea that there was “any governmental interference” in the vote. Although he promised that allegations of fraud and vote-rigging would be investigated, officials said reported violations would not alter the results.

At least eight people were killed in clashes during the campaign and 1,400 were detained, the majority supporters of the outlawed but tolerated Brotherhood.

Egyptian analysts hold that the regime engineered an NDP landslide in order to ensure that next year’s presidential poll will proceed smoothly.

Although Mr Mubarak, aged 82 and ailing, has not formally declared himself a candidate, he is expected to stand for re-election if he is fit. His son, Gamal, groomed for the top job, is unpopular with both the people and the military which prefers, as one commentator observed, “an officer in civilian clothes”.