After Rigging Shura Elections, MB Candidates Speak Out

Many riggings, detentions and violations were committed on the day of the Shira Council midterm elections held on Monday June, 11, 2007. Main opposition powers boycotted elections but the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) insisted on spearheading opposition against the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), triggering violent confrontations that started with tearing election posters and signs of the MB candidates, preventing them from campaigning and even meeting residents of their constituencies, arresting and beating them and their supporters. This was capped by rigging the elections under supervision of policemen who were main elements in rigging. Ikhwanweb held some interviews with some Muslim Brotherhood candidates in various constituencies to ask them about their views about these violations.

 

 

Dr. Khaled Al Dib, MB candidate for constituency of Mit Ghamr says :

 

From the very beginning of the election day, security forces didn’t allow any body to enter the polling centre to cast his vote. Even representatives of candidates were denied access. We found, before any voter entered, ballot boxes fully stuffed with rigged ballots. Huge cars laden with people from outside the constituency were allowed to enter the polling centre to vote to the NDP candidate. We haven’t expected such a huge size of rigging. They should have cancelled the elections instead of feigning justice and fairness to reveal the ugly face of rigging and violating the simplest right, to express one’s own view. We endured harassments that included preventing us from hanging election posters and holding election hustings expecting that the election day will be better, but the election day was the worst in the history of Egyptian parliaments. We have taken all legal procedures to challenge such flagrant violations and we will continue serving this country.

 

 

Mohamed Al Feqi, the MB candidate for the constituency of Al Hawamdiya said:

 

What happened on Monday has no relation with a fair and transparent elections. Ballot boxes were fully stuffed with fabricated votes before opening the polling centre. I was even deprived of the 6000 votes of my home village Abu Al-Numrus although I expected many thousands from other villages in the constituency. They stuffed ballot papers and voted instead of my relatives to prevent them from backing me. What happened on Monday was a politically driven measure. A political decision ordered all elections be rigged for the ruling NDP candidates to continue humiliating people and other independent and opposition candidates.

 

Dr. Al Ghobashi Al-Atawi, the MB candidate for the constituency of Baltym and Al Hamul, said:

 

Very clear instructions were issued of not allowing any one to cast his vote. This is what happened. All representatives of candidates weren’t allowed to enter polling centres and their powers of attorney were torn and seized. State security elements were the only ones controlling over the entrances of the polling stations. Ballot cards were stuffed even by NDP members of parliament and state security officers. When I objected, a state security officer harassed me and tried to quarrel with me. They were ordered to prevent the Muslim Brotherhood candidates from winning these elections. They were preventing particularly veiled women and bearded men. When we went to the prosecution to lodge a complaint, they refused saying they are ordered not to accept election related complaints. 13 supporters, mostly lawyers were detained, not to mention beatings and threats .

 

Gaber Mansour, the MB candidate for Ahnasia says:

 

There was a heavy security presence to intimidate people and drive them away from polling centers. People were prevented from voting from the very begging when polling centres opened doors. We sent telegraphs to officials about every thing that happened on this day and the terrorism exercised by the security forces against citizens. The overall view of the day of rigging elections shows that there will be no runoff because the stuffed fabricated ballots are sufficient for the ruling NDP candidates to win.

 

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