Muslim Brotherhood Slaps Local Poll

An Egyptian Member of Parliament rejects the municipal council”s elections, terming it invalid legally since the ruling party tries to expel the others parties particularly the Muslim Brotherhood.

In an exclusive interview with Alalam TV on Monday, the Secretary General of the Muslim Brotherhood”s bloc in the Parliament, Mohamed El-Beltagui said, “The ruling party, escapes from political competitions, arguing that it wants to amend the Local Administration Act, but without any modification it now tries to hold the elections.”

Egypt postponed local council elections for two years in 2006 after the Brotherhood performed better than expected in a parliamentary election in 2005.

“The policy of force and violence has been exercised by the ruling party ahead of registration of their candidacies and more than 800 elite leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, who are now before military courts, were detained,” El-Beltagui added.

He pointed out that corruption is perceived to exist throughout the country and the standard of services reduced severely.

The Member of Parliament said that before entering into the stage of propaganda, the ruling party seeks to put an end to the political competition for its benefit, because they could not tolerate the Brotherhood and its popularity.

In this regard, Mohammed Saad al-Katatni, the leader of the Brotherhood”s parliamentary bloc, told reporters that policemen across the country had blocked members of the organization from entering the official buildings to register and they have seized 700 of the group”s potential candidates.

He added that only 60 out of 10,000 members of Egypt”s opposition Muslim Brotherhood have been allowed to register.

Egypt will hold elections for the 4,500 municipal councils in this country of 76 million. The Brotherhood has vowed to contest the election despite the crackdown.