(AKI) - The spokesman of Egypt's Muslim Brotherood Essam el Ariane was stopped Tuesday by security forces as he was heading to Cairo airport to take a flight to Oslo, according to a report on the movement's website. El Ariane had been due to attend a conference in the Norwegian capital. According to the Muslim Brotherhood, officially banned but largely tolerated,, "this is the latest episode of repression by the region in the vain effort to discourage the Muslim Brotherhood from taking part in the upcoming elections."The candidate registration process for the upcoming elections of the Shura Council (Senate) in Egypt opened on Tuesday and will be open until Sunday. Egyptian voters will be called to elect 174 members of the higher chamber of the Egyptian parliament in a climate of incresing tension between the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) and the Islamist opposition, exacerbated by the arrest in recent weeks of various leading figures in the Muslim Brotherhood and the referral to a military court of 34 of its members.
| "Islam is the solution" is the slogan with which the Islamist movement intends to compete in the coming polls. |
The first round of the elections, to be held in 26 provinces, is scheduled for 11 June while a second round will be held on 18 June. The Shura is made up of 264 members - two thirds elected by the people and one third nominated directly by the president. The appointed members have a six year mandate while those elected have a three year term.