CAIRO: Egypt's Islamist parties have won more than 80 percent of seats in the largely ceremonial Upper House of Parliament, the country's election board said on Sunday. The influential Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) garnered 105 of the 180 seats in the Shura Council that were up for election after gaining 58.3 percent of the vote in a recent two-round election, reported the semi-official newspaper Al-Akhbar, citing an election commission. The ultra-conservative Salafist al-Nour Party came second with 45 seats, while al-Wafd, Egypt's oldest liberal party, trailed in third with just 14 seats. Islamists already hold more than two thirds of the seats in the lower house of parliament, the People's Assembly. The Shura Council has limited powers and is composed of a total of 270 members. Two-thirds of its lawmakers are directly elected, while the remaining third are appointed by the head of the state. The newly-elected body is due to hold its inaugural session on Tuesday, when it will appoint a chairman and two deputies. Both houses of parliament are to jointly select a panel tasked with drafting a new constitution for Egypt. ** with dpa BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/2KlJJ Tags: Election, Government, Parliament, Shura Section: Egypt, Latest News
