Helwan witnessed one of the fiercest battles, reports Ahmed Qotb Helwan was peaceful despite predictions of a tense standoff between NDP candidate Sayed Meshaal and independent Mustafa Bakri, in which Meshaal won. On election day security forces were placed on high alert around polling stations to control any violence that might break out. The streets of Helwan were covered with candidates' banners and placards. The ground was strewn with election leaflets. Cars with microphones roamed the streets chanting the names of candidates and saying what they will do if they win. Nineteen candidates were competing for two seats, and an additional eight women were fighting to become one of Helwan's two female representatives. The fiercest battle was between Sayed Meshaal, minister of military production, and Mustafa Bakri, the sitting MP. Some supporters had drums and other musical instruments to serenade voters. Many buses pulled up at polling stations disgorging passengers, one of whom said they were employees at military production factories bussed in to vote for Meshaal. Students from the military production school wore T-shirts and caps with pictures of Meshaal on them. They said they had been offered a free meal in return for chanting for Meshaal at polling stations. The only outburst of anger recorded was when processions supporting Bakri and Meshaal accidentally met. The security forces acted quickly to disperse the crowd. Mahmoud Bakri, the manager of his brother Mustafa Bakri's campaign, expressed satisfaction over the probity he found at "the majority" of the polling stations he visited. He did, though, claim that polling stations in three schools were the scene of some irregularities. "Supporters of some candidates got inside these polling stations and harassed voters," Bakri told Al-Ahram Weekly. His brother, Mustafa, joined a sit-in at Al-Maasara School, one of the polling stations, because of "the stuffing of ballot boxes" and "premature closing of polling station". Mohamed Fahmi, a representative of the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate, alleged that vote rigging and fraud had occurred at all polling stations. 'Brotherhood representatives were not allowed inside polling stations," he said. "Security forces told us that a signature from the police department was needed, but they refused to give it to us."
