Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Egypt: First phase of polls for lower House of Parliament concludes

NewsOnAir

In Egypt, the first round of voting for 168 out of 498 member Lower House of Parliament, the People's Assembly, closes today.

The elections for the party list were over last week while the run offs for the 52 out of 56 seats for the Individual List come to close today. The Islamist parties of Muslim Brotherhood and hard-line Salafists have won over 65 per cent votes in this round.

The Election Commission has revised down the turnout from 62 per cent to 52 per cent and said, results from several polling stations would be withheld because of violations.

The Muslim Brotherhood, the biggest winner in the first round of Egypt's elections, has threatened to take to the streets if there is any attempt to manipulate results.

AIR West Asia Correspondent has analyzed the prospects from Round One of elections in Egypt.

The road to seat of power in Cairo is going to be a tough one. The trends from the first round have shown Islamists all set to gain a majority in the new parliament. However the power sharing between the moderate Islamic Brotherhood and hard-line Salafists may not be all that easy.

Islamic Brotherhood has sought to allay the fears among the minorities and liberals that strict Islamic codes will not be enforced and the rule of law will prevail.

The Salafists say the practices prevalent in Islam must be continued and preserved. Skirmishes between their supporters in Southern Assuit province and a few other places reflect the simmering tension.

Liberals and Secular parties along with the young activists at Tahrir Square have yet to come to terms with the outcome of the first round.

The former Arab League Chief Amre Mousa says Egyptians have to accept that democracy is all about numbers.

The another Presidential hopeful and former IAEA Chief Mohammad Elbardeii rues what he calls the decimation of liberal and secular forces so far. Whatever be the outcome, people's power is on full display in these elections in Egypt.


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