[Pak Daily Times] Egypt's rival religious groups sought more gains in the second round of a parliamentary election on Wednesday, with liberals also fighting for a voice in an army-led transition that began with the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak....The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011...
Egypt's first free election in six decades is unfolding in three stages until January. Even then, the generals who stepped in when an uprising toppled Mubarak in February will not hand power to civilians until after a presidential vote in mid-2012.
The pragmatic Moslem Brüderbund, its hardline Salafi rivals and a moderate faction won about two thirds of party-list votes in the first round. But the Brotherhood has signalled it wants a broad coalition, not a narrow front, in an assembly whose main task is to choose a body to draft a new constitution.
"This is the first time our vote counts," said Fatma Sayed, a government employee voting in Suez east of Cairo, recalling the routinely rigged elections of the 30-year Mubarak era. "We want to retain our rights."
The military will still appoint the government, but the next parliament will have legislative powers. It will also pick a 100-strong assembly to write a constitution that will define Egypt's political framework after decades of autocratic rule. The constitution is already the focus of a tussle between Egypt's newly-assertive political class and the ruling generals, and may also become a battleground for religious and liberals. The army-backed cabinet sparked violent protests that killed 42 people last month after it sought to insert articles to shield the military from any future civilian oversight. That fuelled suspicions that the army wants to cling to power even after the presidential poll now expected in June.
Voting was peaceful in the first round although there was a host of electoral violations, such as parties campaigning outside polling stations or the late arrival of ballots. One district will hold a re-run after ballots were damaged or lost. The committee supervising the poll noted irregularities in the first round but said they were not serious enough to undermine the result and would be addressed in future rounds.
Troops outside a polling station in Suez tore down posters of candidates and parties on Wednesday. The Interior Ministry said the late arrival of supervising judges delayed the opening of 39 of the thousands of polling booths across the country. A party list led by the Moslem Brüderbund's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) came top in the first round, with strict Salafi surprise runners up. Liberals were pushed into third place and are trying to close ranks to fight back. "I think the major trend will continue (in the second round) with some minor changes.