[ 2011-12-03 ]

Egypt vote results delayed again
CAIRO (AFP) - Egypt again delayed the release of
full election results expected to show Islamist
candidates sweeping to victory.

At a press conference by the election commission
chief Abdel Moez Ibrahim, already pushed back by
two days, he began announcing figures before
abruptly leaving the room saying he had "no more
energy" and had "run out of gas."

His incomplete announcement of results in some
constituencies made it difficult to discern the
overall trend, but he did reveal that turnout had
been a record "since the Pharoahs" at 62 percent.

His prepared opening statement said Egypt had
"passed from an era of dictatorship to a
democratic era" -- a reference to the abuses of
the regime of Hosni Mubarak who was overthrown in
a January-February uprising.

More than eight million Egyptians embraced their
new democratic freedoms this week in Cairo and
second-city Alexandria in the first election since
the toppling of the 30-year rule of president
Mubarak.

The results are expected to show the Muslim
Brotherhood, a moderate Islamist movement banned
for decades, as the dominant force, but with a
strong showing by hardline Salafi candidates.

Forecasts in the local media and from the parties
themselves put the Brotherhood's Freedom and
Justice Party (FJP) at around 40 percent, the
Salafis at about 20 percent and a secular liberal
alliance trailing in third place.

There was no immediate announcement of when full
results would be revealed, but Ibrahim said they
would be posted on the Internet.

The figures are from only the opening part of a
parliamentary election taking place in three
stages, but they will reveal the political trends
shaping the country's transition to democracy.

The military rulers who took control after the
overthrow of Mubarak have adopted a highly
complicated system for the election which has been
criticised by many observers.

Voters were required to pass three votes on Monday
and Tuesday: two for individual candidates --
split between workers and professionals -- and one
for a party.

Ibrahim gave results for the individual contests,
with all but four of them going into a run-off
next Monday because no candidate gained an
outright majority.

Only a third of constituencies voted this week to
elect a new lower house of parliament. The rest of
the country will follow on December 14 and then on
January 3.

The prospect of an Islamist-dominated parliament
raises fears among liberals about civil liberties,
religious freedom in a country with the Middle
East's largest Christian minority, and tolerance
of multi-party democracy.

"My father is seriously thinking about sending me
and my brothers elsewhere because he thinks we
won't have a future in the country with the
Salafis," Nardine, a Christian banker in her 20s,
told AFP.

Leaders from the Muslim Brotherhood, set to be the
main party in parliament, have repeatedly stressed
their commitment to multi-party democracy and
inclusiveness, and have pledged to ensure
freedoms.

The Brotherhood's FJP says it strives for a "civil
state, defined as a non-military non-religious
state... that respects human rights" according to
its political programme.

The group has been officially banned since the
1950s, but it counts hundreds of thousands of
members and is known for its vast network of
social and religious outreach programmes, as well
as its stand against corruption.

Two demonstrations were also called on Friday --
one against the army leaders overseeing the
country's promised transition to democracy and
another to support the regime -- but turnout was
low by recent standards.

The Brotherhood and other political parties are
expected to face a fierce power struggle with the
army to ensure the complete transfer of power to
the new civilian leaders.

Source - AFP

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