(Photograph)
Election day: Police blocked Egyptians from polls Monday in Ausim, northwest of Cairo, and other areas where the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist opposition party, has strong support.
Steve Crisp/Reuters

Egypt vote shows unease with democracy

Flawed polls Monday and coming votes in the Middle East are seen by critics as creating only the appearance of reform.

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Reporters on the job: Dan Murphy shares the story behind the story.
John Nordell - Staff

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Mohammed Kamal promised Monday's elections would be different.

Mr. Kamal, leader of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), described new election rules as a "leap forward in … the increase in political participation in Egypt," at a rare meeting with foreign journalists a few weeks ago.

"We have a test coming up with the Shura Council elections. ... There is unprecedented freedom of expression in Egypt now," he said.

But, instead, the vote for the consultative upper house of parliament proved to be much like previous polls – marked by intimidation and abuse.

Monday's election was marred by the beating of an opposition parliamentarian by the police, limited access to polls, and the arrest of nearly 800 members of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's powerful political opposition group. The arrests have occurred over the past week, with at least 75 Brotherhood members were arrested Monday.

"It's as expected – a fiasco," says Madgi Abdu, a Brotherhood member.

"There's a massive police presence at the polling station, none of us have been allowed anywhere near the station, including the candidate's family, and they're bussing in NDP supporters,'' he says.

At least three other polling places were confirmed to have blocked Brotherhood supporters from entering. The Islamist group alleged on its website that already full ballot boxes were delivered to some stations, and that others where their candidates were running were shut completely, though this could not be independently confirmed.

Egypt, a close US ally, has promised in recent years – in part due to American pressure – to open up its political system, and officials such as Kamal say it has done just that with a series of constitutional amendments that have changed the country's electoral laws.

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