Egypt: Voting in Alexandra halted

2010-11-25 08:47

Cairo - An Egyptian court on Wednesday ordered the cancellation of a parliamentary election this week in most of Alexandria after its orders to reinstate disqualified candidates, many of them opposition, were ignored.

The Alexandria administrative court said in its decision that the November 28 election could not go ahead in 10 of the Mediterranean coastal city's 11 districts, a judicial source said.

Each district is represented by two lawmakers.

The decision is likely to be suspended as the ruling National Democratic Party contests it.

Several of Alexandria's districts are represented by the Muslim Brotherhood opposition movement in the outgoing parliament. It has about five candidates left in the city.

The group registers its candidates as independents to circumvent a ban on religious parties.

The election committee has also disqualified several NDP candidates across the country as well as independent candidates.

The NDP is expected to sweep parliament again amid rights groups allegations that election has already been compromised by widespread arrests of opposition supporters and restrictions on their candidates.

Police have rounded up more than 1 000 Muslim Brotherhood supporters in the past weeks.

- SAPA