Egypt candidate supporters burn ruling party office

Egypt candidate supporters burn ruling party office
 
CAIRO, Nov 16 (Reuters) – Supporters of an independent candidate in Egypt’s parliamentary elections attacked and burnt the headquarters of the ruling party in a lower income Cairo district, witnesses and police said on Wednesday.


The witnesses said the attack by a group of between 30 and 50 men on the one-storey building took place late on Tuesday, when Egyptian legislative elections turned violent as candidates fought over 133 seats up for grabs in a run-off vote.


“A group of men broke the windows of the building. Then they broke the door down, entered the building and set it on fire,” the witnesses said.


“Police have arrested two men in relation to the incident … The group was made up of supporters of the rival candidate in the elections,” a security official said.


The attack took place in the Cairo district of Embaba, where NDP candidate Ismail Hilal was running against independent candidate Abdel Moneim Emara.


Tuesday’s run-off vote was part of the first round of the three-stage elections which started last Wednesday and will continue till Dec. 7. Results are expected on Wednesday.


Monitoring organisations reported widespread intimidation, vote-buying and the illegal collective registration of state company employees in areas where they do not live.


A woman was shot and injured near a polling station in Old Cairo, hospital sources said.


In Beni Suef, south of Cairo, a group led by the NDP candidate beat Muslim Brotherhood supporters with wooden clubs, one monitoring organisation said.