Egypt's ruling party swept the recent parliamentary elections but the extent of the victory was unclear Tuesday, as the country's newspapers struggled to conclude exactly how many seats were won by the National Democratic Party (NDP), DPA reported.
President Hosny Mabarak's NDP secured about 80 per cent of the vote for the lower house, according to nearly all accounts after results were announced Monday night by the official High Elections Commission.
However, the first edition of the state-run newspaper al-Ahram said the NDP captured 439 seats, out of the 508 that were up for grabs in the two rounds of voting that concluded Sunday.
A second edition of the paper gave a lower figure of 420 members in the People's Assembly.
Even the election commission, which oversees the vote nationwide, had to send out a correction to its initial announcement.
In its first message, the commission said the NDP won 424 seats, but this was lowered later in the night to 420, as reflected in al- Ahram.
The confusion surrounding election results partly stems from the fact the commission reveals the winners by name, but without any party affiliation.
Two independent newspapers also had varying figures. Al-Shorouk reported the NDP won 423 seats, but al-Masry al-Youm gave the ruling party only 419.
The opposition faired poorly, amid allegations of fraud and rigging in favour of the NDP. The largest opposition group of the outgoing lower-house, the Muslim Brotherhood, dropped from 88 seats to zero in the new People's Assembly.
Parliamentary elections this year were seen as indicator ahead of next year's presidential poll.
Mubarak, 82, who has been in power for nearly 30 years, has yet to name a vice-president or successor, or to confirm if he will seek another six-year term in 2011.
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