Muslim Brotherhood to boycott election run-off

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood on Wednesday announced that it will boycott the run-off in  parliamentary elections, after failing to win a single seat in Sunday’s vote amid allegations of fraud and violence.Official figures showed President Hosni Mubarak's National Democratic Party winning 209 of 221 contested seats.

Reuters/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Sunday’s vote was harshly criticised by allies such as the United States as well as human rights groups for a lack of international monitoring, violence and alleged restrictions on freedom of association, speech and press prior to the election.

The liberal Wafd party, which won just two of 508 contested seats, also announced that it will boycott the 5 December.

"It makes no sense that one party controls 96 per cent of parliament," said Wafd candidate Abdel Nur.

The Muslim Brotherhood won 20 per cent of seats in the previous parlimentary elections in 2005.

The party, whose candidates registered as independents to sidestep a ban on religious parties, fielded 130 nominees in the first round, after more than a dozen were disqualified and some 1,200 supporters arrested.