WASHINGTON - An open election in Egypt includes peaceful political assemblies, the US State Department said as Egyptian media report on political violence. Egyptians head to the polls Nov. 28 for parliamentary elections. The registration process for the election closed last week. P.J. Crowley, a spokesman for the US State Department, said during his regular press briefing that Washington was committed to supporting a free and impartial election in Egypt. "In keeping with the Egyptian government's commitment, fair and transparent elections would include peaceful political assemblies throughout the campaign, civil society organisations freely promoting voter education and participation and an open media environment that offers balanced coverage for all candidates," he said in his statement. The ruling National Democracy Party aims to secure a political mandate for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak as he weighs re-election for 2011. The opposition Muslim Brotherhood, meanwhile, hopes to launch a political challenge through its pool of independent candidates. Rival NDP members traded gunfire during the weekend and police descended on a march organised by the opposition Muslim Brotherhood, the independent al-Masry al-Youm newspaper reports. The state-run High Elections Commission announced that 5,720 candidates are competing for 508 seats in the late November poll.
