Election re-runs harvest more arrests in Daqahleya.

 

Egyptian security forces on Sunday January 24, detained nine Muslim Brotherhood members in the Nile Delta north of the capital as they prepared for a re-run parliament vote, security sources revealed.

The re-run was for a seat contested in the 2005 parliamentary election where the Brotherhood had claimed victory. In several seats, the authorities ordered a new vote because of alleged abuses. Many re-runs have been delayed until recent months.

The banned Brotherhood secured a fifth of the parliamentary seats in 2005 when members ran as independents. The authorities have since been escalating squeezes against the Movement out of mainstream politics. Analysts foresee that the group may see its bloc shrink in the parliamentary election due later this year. Only time will tell.

The nine arrested on Sunday had been supporting the campaign of Brotherhood member, Hussein Sabi, running for a seat in the Daqahleya governorate in the Nile Delta.