CAIRO - Around 28 Million Egyptian voters will head to polling stations across the nation this morning to cast their ballots in parliamentary election runoffs in which hundreds of candidates will be competing over 283 seats. Tensions and rumours reigned supreme hours before the vote as the supporters of various candidates fought against each other in many areas, while election observers warned against vote-related violence and bloodshed. The ruling National Democratic Party is fielding 388 candidates in today's vote, while 166 candidates run as independents and 16 candidates represent small political parties. Runoff candidates continued to lobby in their constituencies until late last night as their supporters held banners and their photos and kept chanting songs and slogans in their support. Observers expect the ruling party to sweep the runoffs as it did in the first round of the elections on November 28 by winning more than 90 per cent of the seats. Secretary General of the party Safwat el- Sherif said described today as “decisive” day and called on voters to go to the polling stations in large numbers to pick the candidates of their choice. “The NDP cares about the interests of its candidates,” el-Sherif said. “The elections have not come to an end yet,” he added. The Muslim Brotherhood, an outlawed opposition group, but one with strong following on the streets, announced that it would boycott the runoffs in the aftermath of sustaining a shocking defeat in the first round of the elections. The liberal Al-Wafd Party also announced that it would withdraw its candidates from the runoffs, suspecting the honesty of the elections and saying that there was massive vote-rigging in the first round. That was the same reason why protests happened in several parts Saturday, calling for the cancellation of the election results and tightening supervision over what protesters called “vote-riggers”. El-Sherif called on the media and civil society organisations to take part in monitoring the elections by being extensively present in polling stations across Egypt. “We expect the candidates of the NDP to deservedly win a large number of seats in the runoffs,” el-Sherif said. As he said this, supporters of several NDP candidates continued to fiddle over rumours that the party would back one candidate at the expense of another. In the coastal city of Damietta, the rumour had it that the party would sacrifice one of the candidates for the sake of another, but a party official in the furniture industry hub sought to allay fears by saying that the party viewed all its candidates equally. The Administrative Court has received 430 complaints against election results so far. Opposition parties and activists say irregularities had marred the first phase of voting. They expect the runoffs to be a mere copy of the first round of voting. The Higher Election Commission, an independent body of judges nullified election results in 20 constituencies on grounds of vote-rigging and violence. Around 28 million citizens are allowed to cast their ballots in today's voting, which takes place in 166 constituencies. Two judges came out to speak against alleged election fraud after the first round of voting. They said they had seen several irregularities during the elections, and called on the Higher Election Commission to take an action. Despite this, around 1,494 judges will take part in monitoring the polls. Some people say the results of the current elections will decide the future of Egypt's presidency to a great extent as a presidential candidate has to get endorsement from at least 250 legislators and members of local councils. So far, the NDP manipulates the uncontested majority in the Shura Council (the Upper House of the Egyptian Parliament). The People's Assembly elections are expected to give the ruling party control over both houses of the Parliament.
