Egypt's opposition parties withdraw from election after controversial first round results

[News_Editor]

Egypt's opposition parties withdraw from election after controversial first round results

2010-12-01 23:58:43 GMT+7 (ICT)

CAIRO, EGYPT (BNO NEWS) -- Al-Wadf and the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's opposition parties, on Wednesday withdrew from the second round of parliamentary elections after the controversial first round results that have been condemned worldwide.

According with the Daily News Egypt, both opposition parties officially quit the Sunday's run-off after the results of the first round of voting in the parliamentary elections were announced on Tuesday evening.

"We will withdraw from all the elections. The two Al-Wafd candidates who won seats in the first round will also withdraw," said Al-Wafd's secretary general Mounir Fakhir Abdel Nour.

The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) emerged from the first round with zero seats after winning 88 seats in the previous election. Al-Wafd only won two seats in contrast with the astonishing 217 seats won by the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP). In total, opposition parties won five seats.

The run-off elections are scheduled to be held on December 5. It was expected to include a competition between 377 NDP candidates, 140 independents, 26 MB-affiliated independent candidates, nine Al-Wafd candidates, six members of Al-Tagammu, and one candidate from El-Salam party.

On Tuesday, the White House expressed its disappointment with the results of the first round. The Obama Administration was concerned over the many reports of irregularities at the polls such as the lack of international monitors and the many problems faced by domestic monitors, and the restrictions on the basic freedoms of association, speech and press in the run-up to the elections.

Egyptian media has been showing images and testimonies of mass faked ballots and voters being intimidated at polling stations. In addition, cell phone videos of ballot box stuffing and polling station violence have been posted on the Internet since Sunday’s elections.

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