Egyptian police detain six Muslim Brotherhood members in Menoufiya

May 29, 2007, 12:07 GMT

Cairo - Egyptian authorities detained Tuesday dawn six members of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) movement in Menoufiya province, the group said in a statement.

The six detainees were supporters of the MB's candidate for the upcoming mid-term election of Shoura Council, the upper house of parliament, the statement added.

On Monday, three other MB members had been detained in Dakahliya province.

'Such continuing detentions aim to prevent the MB members from having their legal right of launching promotional, electoral campaigns as well as hindering their political participation in general,' the MB said.

The Egyptian authorities also broke into the houses of other members but they did not find them at home.

More than 100 MB members were arrested during the past few days.

The Shoura council election was scheduled for June 11. At least 17 candidates from the movement were running for the 88 seats.

The Muslim Brotherhood is the largest opposition group in Egypt with 88 members in the lower house of parliament.

In the past few months scores of alleged members of the movement were arrested in connection with non-violent political activities in the run-up to the elections.

The 264-seat Shura Council or upper house of Egypt's bicameral parliament has limited legislative powers and acts as a consultative body to the lower house - the People's Assembly.

Elections for the six-year term of the council take 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 were to be filled by presidential appointment.

Most opposition parties in Egypt have already announced that they would boycott the elections.