(New York Times) Michael Slackman - If Egypt's parliamentary elections were supposed to be an exercise in democracy, they instead served as a reminder of the unyielding, unchecked power of the state. After the banned Muslim Brotherhood began whittling away at the governing party's monopoly on power, police officers in riot gear and others in plainclothes and armed civilians working for the police began blocking polling stations, preventing supporters of the Brotherhood from casting their votes. Results of the election showed that the Muslim group had increased its representation in Parliament to 88 members from 15, while the governing National Democratic Party retained the vast majority of the 454 seats.
2005-12-09 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive