CAIRO: In Egypt's elections, Islamist political powers grossed over 65 percent of the votes, according to early official results announced in the country. The Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the Muslim Brotherhood's political wing, won 36.62 percent of the vote, while the Salafist al-Nour Party – an ultra-conservative Puritan party – won 24.36 percent, pushing the Islamists to a majority in the first free election in Egypt since the fall of the previous regime and the ousting of President Honsi Mubarak and his aides. The Al-Wasat party, a moderate Islamist party, received 4.27 percent of the votes. The FJP received 3.565 million votes, while the ultra-conservative al-Nour party won 2.371 million and the Egyptian coalition, consisting of liberal parties, earned 1.299 million votes. In fourth place came al-Wafd Party, which pulled out of the coalition only a few months before the elections, earned 690,077 votes. “This is the highest participation Egypt has ever witnessed,” said Abdel Moaz Ibrahim, head of the elections committee in a press conference. 62 percent of Egyptians participated in the elections, which many look at as the first step towards democracy. 13 million Egyptian are registered eligable voters, yet only 8 million went to polling stations to cast their votes. “The intensity of votes inside the country and from its citizens abroad astonished Egyptians before it did the world,” Ibrahim added. The first round of the elections started on Monday and ended on Tuesday night, where one-third of Egypt's cities voted. Cairo, Alexnadria, Damitta, Port Said, Kafr al-Sheick, Luxor, Assuit, Faioum and the Red Sea govnetate all took to the polls. They elected 186 members of parliament from 498 total seats. The next round of voting will take place on December 18 and January 3 to determine the remaining seats in parliament. BM
