EGYPT ELECTION MARRED BY MASS OPPOSITION ARRESTS
1 December 2005

Egypt is facing its final round of national elections. The nation's oldest Islamist political organization, the Muslim Brotherhood, says at least 500 of its representatives have been detained in the last 2 days, including many election activists.

136 of 454 seats in the national parliament will be contested in this round of voting. In the first round alone, the officially banned opposition party saw its representation more than double, by way of the election of independents representing the party's platform. Hosni Mubarak's National Democratic Party retained 68% of parliamentary representation.

The Muslim Brotherhood has so far increased its representation five-fold, according to the BBC, in the first two rounds of parliamentary voting. The government of Hosni Mubarak, seen by many as more strictly authoritarian than democratic, has opposed any notion of the major opposition party gaining representation to influence national policy.

The US State Department has expressed concern over the arrests and urged Egypt to permit all voters free exercise of their political rights. A spokesman is quoted as saying all Egyptians must "have the ability to express their will about Egypt's future direction, as well as the future direction of their political system, through the ballot box".

Though the party officially opposes the use of violence, it aims at establishing a system based in Islamic law. Its activities include a focus on charitable services and vocal support for democratic processes. It has been influential in fomenting Islamist movements in other countries, but claims to want to use Islam within the framework of democracy.

The Egyptian Interior Ministry has reportedly told the press is has no information on the arrests. The BBC reports "the second round of voting on Saturday was marred by violence between rival political groups, voter intimidation and fraud", and that judges supervising the process accuse the government of not acting to stop intimidation when it was reported. [s]