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Foreign poll monitors "assault on sovereignty" says Egypt minister

Arab World Materials 20 November 2010 15:22 (UTC +04:00)

An Egyptian minister has condemned possible international election monitors at the country's upcoming elections as an assault on national sovereignty, local media reported Saturday, DPA reported.

Minister of Legal Affairs and Parliamentary Councils Mofid Shehab said "we will not allow foreign monitoring of elections in Egypt; we see that as an assault on the sovereignty of the state."

The United States and other countries had asked to allow foreign observers to monitor the November 28 parliamentary elections to guarantee a free and fair vote, but Egypt has repeatedly declined the call describing it as meddling in its internal affairs.

"Rejecting foreign observers does not mean we intend to rig the polls. It shows we guarantee that Egyptians are a real substitute for international monitoring," Shehab said.

Earlier this month, President Hosny Mubarak repeated that Egypt would hold "free and transparent" parliamentary elections with help from local civil society organisations.

This year, some 76 Egyptian civil society organisations will be licensed to monitor the polls. Opposition groups argue that in 2005 these organisations were given limited access.

International observers have never been permitted to monitor elections in Egypt, and previous elections have been marred by fraud and intimidation of opposition candidates and voters.

Members of the largest opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, have complained that police are hampering their campaign. They said that 300 brotherhood members were arrested Friday, when security forces used rubber bullets and tear gas against their supporters in the northern coastal city of Alexandria.

Security officials said less than 100 people were arrested.

Shehab said he does not expect the Brotherhood candidates to win the same percentage as in the previous elections, saying that they grabbed 88 seats because other parties did not participate.

The Brotherood won nearly a fifth of the total in the People's Assembly in the 2005 elections, making them the largest opposition bloc in parliament.

More than 5,000 candidates are vying for 508 seats in the poll, which is seen as a litmus test of how next year's presidential election will unfold. It is largely expected that the ruling National Democratic Party will maintain its grip on parliament.

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