Middle East News
Crackdown on Muslim Brotherhood in run-up to Egypt elections
May 15, 2007, 11:05 GMT
Cairo - Egyptian Shura Council candidates were to begin presenting their candidacy papers Wednesday in the run-up to June 11 polls.
The Interior Ministry announced the presentation of candidacy papers will continue until Sunday evening.
In a related development, official newspapers on Tuesday reported the arrest of three Muslim Brotherhood leaders in Alexandria, who were allegedly 'in possession of leaflets aiming at inciting public opinion.'
In the past few months scores of alleged Brotherhood members have been arrested in connection with their non-violent political activities in the run-up to mid-term Shura Council elections to be held on June 11.
The 264-seat Shura Council is the upper house of the Egyptian bicameral parliament. It has limited legislative powers and acts as a consultative body to the lower house - the People's Assembly.
Election for the six-year term of the council takes place every three years, thus renewing half of the membership. A total of 88 seats are due to be contested in national elections throughout Egypt's 26 provinces, while 44 more would be filled by presidential appointment.
Most opposition parties in Egypt have already declared their boycott of the elections. The Muslim Brotherhood, however, announced the group's intention to field up to 20 candidates in select constituencies.
The Brotherhood is the largest opposition group in Egypt with 88 members in the lower house of parliament.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-AgenturCOMMENT
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