Egypt's Elections Rigged Before, During and After
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Tuesday, December 7,2010 02:04 |
A sweeping victory - if that is what one can label Egypt’s ruling NDP’s rigged win - was announced by the Higher Election Commission today where they confirmed the NDP had secured an 83% majority of the votes of the 518 seats at stake. An embarrassing 96% will be announced if the elected independents decide to re-enrol with the NDP.
Both groups chose to boycott after widespread rigging, fraud, and ballot stuffing, which dominated the first round of elections held on November 28, in an attempt to expose the country’s repression and corruption. The NDP’s intentions were evident with early rigging during the MB’s attempts to campaign in the run up to elections with an overwhelming 1400 MB supporters, campaigners and candidates being arbitrarily hauled in by security officials. Some still remain in custody. The heavy clampdown did not deter the MB’s decision to participate in the polls, believing it was a national duty to take part and call for peaceful reform in the country believing it would come about by being members of the parliament, its lawmaking and being part of the political arena.
In a heightened step of rigging not only the nations will but of information, the regime deceivingly announced its majority win outlining that independents won seats, even going as far as purposely lying and announcing that MB candidate, Magdy Ashour, had secured one seat. The MB had decided it would boycott round two after 72% of its Shura Council opted to boycott the run in protest to the fraudulent tactics used by the government against the opposition. The regime was not satisfied with monopolizing the seats in an attempt to tame parliament for next year’s presidential election; it attempted to portray the MB as unsuccessful because they were not only able to hold onto their former seats but were not even able to secure one seat in the polls. Not only did MB candidate, Magdy Ashour, boycott the poll as agreed by the group but he was also detained by security forces on his return from an overnight stay in Alexandria and pressured into contesting in the runoff. Ashour did not succumb to the pressure and was thereby held against his will by security officials while many other MB members and members of his family were rounded up following orders by the Interior Ministry.
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