The first round of the Egyptian Shura Council midterm elections started today morning, on Monday, June, 11, 2007, amid a heavy security presence in election committees of constituencies in which in the Muslim Brotherhood is fielding candidates. The runoff is scheduled to be held on Monday, June 18 .
The Shura Council midterm elections include 133 seats. Election races are held on 77 seats after 11 seats were won uncontested while president Hosni Mubarak will appoint other 44 MPs in this midterm elections of the 264-seat Shura Council.
Up to 665 candidates are running these elections. The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) fields 19 candidates, while the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) fields 109 candidates. The remaining candidates are running as independent or belong to small parties because the Egyptian bigger opposition parties decided to boycott these elections. Wafd, Tagamue, Nasserist parties aren’t running for these elections .
Other small parties were interested in joining the race. Al-Takaful party fielded 26 candidates, including six women, in the elections, and The Free Republican Party fielded 22 candidates, while Al-Shaab (People) Party fielded one candidate .
The following is a report of incidents that took place at the very begging of the Shura election day.
Governorate of Al Fayum
51 citizens were arrested and 8 human rights activists were kidnapped in Al Fayyum.
Governorate of Al-Beheira
Voters were denied access to ballot centres to cast their votes amid a heavy security presence.
Governorate of Sharqiya
Voters were denied access to ballot centres to cast their votes amid a heavy security presence.
Governorate of Damietta
10 delegates of the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, Fekri Al Adham, were kidnapped by the security forces. The kidnapped include:
Sami Sabri, committee No. 388
Mohamed Kadri, committee No. 380
Walid Abdul Azim, committee No. 390
Hassan Khattab, has a general power of attorney
Governorate of Al-Qalyubia
9 persons wer kidnapped from the constituency of El-Gabal Al-Asfar and Al Khankah. Women were denied access to ballot centres and were told that there is no elections.
In Shibin El Kanatar, the Secretary General of the National Democratic Party in Shibin El Kanatar stuffed ballot cards for the National Party’s candidate.
In El-Gabal Al-Asfar, 9 delegates were kidnapped in front of election committees. They are currently held in Al Khankah police station. They include:
Mohamed Mansour, has power of attorney
Mohamed Fahmi
Ashraf Mahrous
Ali Ahmed
Mahrous Al Garhi
Ali Ahmed Al Sayed
Mohamed Amin
In the governorate of Minya
A group of bullies and thugs prevented people from entering ballot centres to cast their votes.
In the governorate of Dakahlia
The police controls committees, dismisses delegates
The security forces and the police started to intimidate voters and delegates of the Muslim Brotherhood candidates so as to easily rig the elections:
In the constituency of Talkha:
Village of Bahut:
The security forces arrested 5 individuals from the constituency of Talkha:
Sayed Nasrallah
Ghazi Al-Sayyed Ghazi
Ahmed Basal
Ahmed Al Sayed Al Said
Ali Al Morshedi
They are held now in Nabarouh police station.
Ikhwanweb correspondents noticed 300 bullies who are armed with cold steel in order to assault supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood candidate in the constituency, Abdul Mohsen Qamhawi.
In the village of Kafr Busat and Al Manial:
The National Democratic Party members, supported by the police, prevented private and general delegates from entering committees. They are still closed in front of voters.
The police chief, officer Ahmed Rateb dismissed, supported by NDP members, voters in Al-Rawda and exercised pressure on committee chiefs to stuff ballot cards. In the committee of the Secondary School Diploma school, citizens were prevented from casting votes, except for those having the red card.
Banoub:
Policeman confiscated all powers of attorney from delegates. Policeman Ahmed Abdul Fattah kidnapped citizen Hassan Mostafa Ammar from the village and took him to an unidentified location.
In the village of Tera:
The police prevented delegates from entering committees.
Mit Antar:
The police prevented delegates having general and special powers of attorney from entering committees.
In Nabarouh:
NDP candidate Abdul Nasrabou Mira went to election committees with 3 trucks laden with bullies to prevent voters from casting their votes.
In the village of Nisha and Al Manial:
The police dismissed delegates.
In Talkha
Ahmed Rateb, a police officer in the district of Talkha, stuffed ballot cards in the village of Al-Roda, Talkha
In Mit Ghamr, Dakahlia
In the village of Al Daroutin
The village mayor and police station commissioner threatened people with detention unless they get out of committees as soon as possible.
In the village of Afnish, the regional Secretary General of the National Democratic Party, Gamal Abu Bakr, closed election committees and started stuffing ballot cards from the beginning of the election process.
In the school of Saad Al Shirbini in Nabarouh, the National Democratic party’s MP, Abdul Nasser Mira, assaulted and beat citizen Ahmed Mohamed Omar, and tried to get him out of the committee with force because he rejected Mira’s stuffing of ballot cards.
The village of Demira
Police prevented delegates from entering ballot centres in nine villages belonging to Demira municipality. Registry Office’s powers of attorney were rejected.
Mit Ghamr:
Police prevented delegates from entering ballot centres. Registry Office’s powers of attorney were rejected.
In the village of Atmeda:
Stressing on not allowing fair elections, voters were harassed and weapons in addition to preventing delegates from ballot centres.
In governorate of Ismailia
In Ismailia, voters were denied access to ballot centres in Qantara committee and policemen informed them there is no elections.
In the committee of Martyr Ahmed Al Manisi school, four committees haven’t been opened so far. In Al-Qassaseen region, Agricultural Society committee, two committees haven’t been opened until now.
Three Muslim Brotherhood members were detained in front of committees in Ayn Al Gaseen:
Ahmed Ibrahim Ahmed Saada
Mohamed Hassan Saada
Yahya Said Mohamed
In Governorate of Gharbiya
The security forces started with kidnapping three delegates in front of the committee of Seegar affiliated to the constituency of Tanta. All people were denied even approaching committees. Security forces kidnapped a delegate of the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, Khaled Shalash for the constituency of Kafr Al-Zayat and Basyoun in Gharbiya in front of Salah Hatata committee. The kidnapped delegate, Sameh Al-Marasy, showed them his power of attorney but he was kidnapped and taken to the state security in Tanta.
Sibtas, district of Tanta, turned into military barracks due to the heavy security presence and people and delegates were denied access to the ballot boxes.
In Kafr Al-Zayat, security forces kidnapped Mohamed Mogahed in front of a committee although he has a power of attorney from engineer, Khaled Shalash, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate.
Governorate of Monoufia
Voters were denied access to ballot centres. An eyewitness said he saw ballot boxes stuffed with rigged ballot cards although it was still 9.30 AM and no one cast his vote yet!!
In Shibin Al Kawm committees, only voters of the ruling National Party candidate were given access while others were dismissed under claims that the Muslim Brotherhood candidate Ahmed Khattab has been excluded from the elections, although there are other candidates whose voters have been prevented by the security forces as well!
In the committee of Mustafi, Arab Gohaina, voters were denied access to the committee under the pretext that there are no delegates for the candidates. In the committee of the primary school in Arab Gohaina, only voters of the National Party were given access while voters of other candidates were denied access.
In the committee of Kafr Hamza, lawyers were denied access to the committees.
In the village of Muriae, district of Shebin, the village mayor, Alaa Zayed, dismissed Nagat Abdul Fattah, delegate of the candidate Abd Al-Salam from committee No. 333.
Al Hamul – Gharbiya
Hamed Abu Shoeishaa was arrested in front of the committee.
Baltym
MB delegates face harassments although they have powers of attorney which are approved from the Registry Office under the pretext of needing ones approved by the police in five committees.
Powers of attorney of MB candidates were seized and torn by committee chiefs.
Town of MB candidate Dr. Al Ghobashi sealed off.
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