One person was killed and dozens were arrested after violence erupted during the elections for Egypt’s upper house of parliament on Monday.
Opposition groups accused security forces loyal to the government of barring potential opposition voters from reaching ballot boxes and rigging the elections in favor of the candidates of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP). The government denied the allegations.
The violence marked the latest showdown between the government and the Muslim Brotherhood, the largest opposition group in Egypt.
The violence erupted between NDP supporters and supporters of an independent candidate in the Nile Delta town, Al-Husseiniyya.
Police said a supporter of the independent candidate was killed in an exchange of gunfire.
The Interior Ministry accused Muslim Brotherhood supporters of storming a voting station and trying to rig the elections in favor of their candidate.
Dozens of brotherhood members were reported to be arrested during voting day, in addition to more than a hundred members of the organization detained during the week before the poll.
Egypt is believed to be holding as many as 600 Muslim Brotherhood members in jail, many without being charged.
The Muslim Brotherhood are a banned organization, yet tolerated to some extent.
The group fielded 19 candidates as independents in the race for 88 seats in the upper house, also known as the Shoura Council.
The Shoura Council is mostly advisory and has limited legislative powers. However, the poll carries much symbolism as the success of the Muslim Brotherhood would indicate a further erosion of the NDP’s popularity, despite its attempts to clamp down on the popular organization.
Results are expected to be clarified on Tuesday.
The Muslim Brotherhood won a fifth of the seats in the parliament’s lower house in the 2005 legislative elections, when it fielded candidates as independents.
In March, the government passed a series of controversial constitutional amendments which it described as political reforms. The amendments outlaw political activity based on religion, further limiting the ability of the Muslim Brotherhood to participate in politics.
The amendments were slammed by human rights organizations and opposition groups.