Egypt top opposition party shut out of parliament

Fundamentalist opposition Muslim Brotherhood fails to win any seats in first round of parliamentary elections, claims rampant fraud in elections.

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
egypt elections 311 (photo credit: Associated Press)
egypt elections 311
(photo credit: Associated Press)
CAIRO — Egypt's largest opposition group did not win a single seat in the first round of parliamentary elections with more than 40 percent of contests decided.
The fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood, which has alleged rampant fraud in Sunday's vote, controls a fifth of the seats in the outgoing parliament. The leading opposition group suffered the dramatic setback after years of government crackdowns, especially during the election campaign.
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The Brotherhood said it is weighing its next move and may boycott runoffs on Dec. 5, when 26 of its candidates are slated to compete.
Official results for the first round, announced late Tuesday, gave Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party 209 of 508 seats. The round decided 43 percent of seats.