Egyptians yesterday began the final stage of month-long parliamentary elections, which have been marred by violence and widespread rights violations that the US has characterized as "disturbing."
Security forces were deployed in large numbers around polling stations, sparking fears of more of the voter obstruction and unrest that plagued the previous rounds and drew domestic and international criticism.
In focus will be the banned Muslim Brotherhood, which made spectacular gains in the first two phases. It has already secured 76 seats in the People's Assembly, nearly five times its 2000 tally.
The Islamist movement, whose candidates run as independents, conducted a well-crafted campaign under the slogan "Islam is the solution," but no observer had predicted the scope of its gains.
It hopes to reach the 100-seat mark in yesterday's 121 runoffs. It complained after failing to win any seats outright in last week's round that the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) had rigged the results.
"The NDP completely panicked, they could not tolerate the 34 seats we won in the first phase," Brotherhood No. 2 Mohammed Habib said on Monday.
"Throughout the legislative elections, the NDP has done everything it could to curb the gains of the Muslim Brothers," he said.
According to Habib, more than 1,300 supporters of the movement -- including dozens of campaign organizers across the country -- have been rounded up by police ahead of polling.
The elections have witnessed pitched battles between supporters of rival candidates, some involving NDP thugs armed with truncheons and machetes and backed by police.
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