Islamists secure top spot in Egypt

Demonstrators take part in a protest against the Egyptian military council at Tahrir square in Cairo. Photograph: Mohamed Abd El-Ghany/Reuters

The Muslim Brotherhood won by far the biggest share of seats allocated to party lists in Egypt's first freely-elected parliament in decades, final results confirmed, and it named one of its top officials to lead the assembly.

Banned under former leader Hosni Mubarak and his predecessors, the Brotherhood has emerged as the winner from his overthrow. Islamists of various stripes have taken about two thirds of seats in the assembly, broadly in line with their own forecasts.

The Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) has promised that all Egyptians will have a voice in the new parliament, but Islamists are now set to wield major influence over a new constitution to be drafted by a 100-strong body that parliament will help pick.

According to final results of the staggered election issued by the high elections committee today, the Brotherhood's electoral alliance took a 38 per cent share of the seats allocated to lists.

The hardline Islamist Al-Nour Party won 29 per cent of list seats. The liberal New Wafd and Egyptian Bloc coalition came third and fourth respectively.

The Revolution Continues coalition, dominated by youth groups at the forefront of the protests that toppled Mr Mubarak, attracted less than a million votes and took just seven of the 498 seats up for grabs in the lower house.

Under a complex electoral system, two thirds or 332 of the seats in lower house are decided by proportional representation on closed party lists.

The other third are contested by individual candidates.The elections committee did not give results for individual seats, although the FJP's alliance has said it expects to take 41 per cent of all seats in the lower house.

• Email Us
• |