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Voting Irregularities, Widespread Rigging Overshadow Elections

Shura Council Elections rundown Ikhwanweb correspondents throughout the country have been covering the Shura council elections hour by hour. The following is the most recent update Beheira -Widespread irregularities and rigging reported in polling stations no. 78 and 121 in

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Shura Council Elections rundown

Ikhwanweb correspondents throughout the country have been covering the Shura council elections hour by hour. The following is the most recent update

Beheira

-Widespread irregularities and rigging reported in polling stations no. 78 and 121 in Shubra.

-Ballot boxes didn’t have locks. Mayor Muhammad Abdel Maqsud Khalil was filling in ballot cards in polling stations no. 583, 584, 585 at the village of Al-Mass’ada starting from 9:02 Am and at Al-Hugr primary school in stations number 568 and 569.
 
-At 10:00 AM, the regional chair of the National democratic Party Dr. Adel Mikki was seen stuffing ballot boxes himself in the women polling stations no. 158 at the secondary military school

-Security forces closed the voting booths no 66-71 at Umar Kamel school in order to prevent anybody from knowing what is taking place inside, until l 10:00am

-Officer Muhammad Qumra at Mahmoudiyah closed polling stations no. 555 to 558 at 10:40 am. Then at 11:00 AM, several others polling stations (no 310-318) at Al-Barnogy, district of Damanhour were completely sealed off

-At the village of Manshaat Nasser, ballot boxes were closed in voting stations no.404-407, and were stuffed with marked ballot cards brought in by 3 vehicles, one of them was holding plate 4809 Taxi.

Al-Qaliyobiyah

-Security forces expelled All representatives of MB Candidates from all of Shebin Al-Koum 575 voting stations

Al-Monoufiyah

-At Birkat Al-Sab’ and Quisna, security forces using detectives and armored vehicles blocked all exits in villages of Abu Al-Hassan, Mit Al-Qasry, and Al-Shahid Fekry in order to prevent voters from coming near polling stations

-Officer Muhammad Abdel Mon’em from the State Security threatened a number of lawyers affiliated with MB candidate Salah Semery to enter polling stations.

-According to eyewitnesses, security forces placed barriers at all exits of the village of Shentena Al-Hagar to prevent supporters of MB candidate Salah Semery from entering.

-At the polling station of the Abu Al Hassan village, police officers were heard yelling at supervising clerks ordering them to mark voting cards for NDP candidate and fill ballot boxes, othwerise they will be punished and fired

-Subhy Omeirah ran for 2005 parliamentary elections but he was defeated by MB candidate. To avenge his loss, he hired thugs to coordinate with security forces in order to impose a siege around polling stations to stop voters from casting their votes for the MB candidate. Omeirah is seeking NDP nomination for the next parliamentary elections.

-Al-Dustur newspaper reporter Magdi Mansour was released after he was detained for two hours inside of Al-Nahda School’s polling station at Birkat Al-Sab’

Kafr Al-Sheik

-Abu Al-Wafa Hegazy was detained in front of the committee Al-Hamad At Baltim. Women not having "red cards" weren’t allowed to cast their votes.

-The home village of MB candidate Al-Gubashi Atawi was sealed off as pick up trucks carrying thugs in collaboration with security forces at the district of Baltim prevented voters from going to their villages to cast their votes. 

-At Al-Sheikh Mubarak polling station, voters and representatives of MB candidates were denied access to voting room, while supporters of the rulling Party Candidate, Ibrahim Qatatu were allowed to enter. The NDP candidate and head of the national party were given access to the election premises which has more than 8147 registered votes

-At Al-Ban’ain polling station (8 subcommittees), representatives and supporters of MB candidates were not given access to ballot centres while representatives of the National Party candidates, Mamdouh Asar and Abu Samra were given access.

-At Al-Burg, several ballot boxes and black plastic bags filled with papers were transported from a police car, security forces started collecting warrants then warrant holders were allowed in and others were prevented  and at Al-Ayash primary school the committee was closed and at UM Al-Riyadh, the doors were closed and voters were prevented from entering while committees at Farag Al-Kubra, powers of attorney were seized from MB representatives and were torn while supporters of the National Party  controlled most constituencies.

Security forces denied voters access to the committee of Belqula School  allowing only supporters of the National Party. At Al-Imdan, 10 armored vehicles arrived and surrounded the committee while at Al-Hamoule committee at Al-Kafr Al-Sharqy Hamid Abu Shieisha’ was arrested before the committee.

Huge violations were committed against representatives of MB candidates although they were holding authentic warrants from Real Estate Department under the pretext that the warrants are in need for authentication from police at five headquarters of the committee, at the same time the candidate of the National Party Farid Mansour stood  with a police man preventing electorates and selecting only those he wants.
At the religious institute at Al-Hamul police officers prevented voters from entering the committees unless they have a permission form the police  to be sure that they will choose the national party candidate. At Al-Hmaul at the  Sabri Al-Qadi committee the security were attacking and following MB supporters in streets with police vehicles while at Al-Helafi Al-Hamoul committee the candidate Al-Sayed Sheshtawy known as  Mimi Al-Sheshtawy was in the committee to force people to vote for him.
At Kum Al-Hugna Billa the security forces, National Party and the mayor agreed on sealing off committees at 2:00 o’clock PM

Al-Daqahliya

Veiled woman denied access!!
Although the Administrative Court ruled that veiled woman who cover their faces can enter the American University of Cairo (AUC), the National Party candidates  and security forces denied any woman with a head scarf access to election committees even if they have red cards.

At Al-Ahmadiyah, Shebin Al-Kum, officer Ali Salah said that bearded voters are not allowed in. A voter told him that he has a National Party card. The officer asked: why do you have a beard. You won’t enter too!!!

It is worth noting that this officer came from Cairo specifically to Al-Ahmadyah and told the detectives (Any one of MB point at him) then he terrorized electorates in order not to allow any body in and if any one dared to enter, the officer will ask him/her for the ballot then he replies this name does not exist here!!!
Meanwhile the officer  Mahmoud Awad went to the village (Simbo Maqam) the center of Mit Ghamr and arrested the deputy of Muhammad Ashour inside the committee number 78 in order to have time to rig for the National Party

Talkha incidents in lines
-At Kafr Demira  Al-Gadid  Tareq Muhammad Mahmoud and the secretary at the national party stuffed ballots for NDP candidates  while detectives at Talkha center kicked out voters from Kufor Al-Arab school and stuffed ballots.
-At Mit Antar village, voting was prohibited from time to time and deputies were not allowed in
-At Dyest and Tawila and Katamah and kafr katamah and sharnaqash, committees  were closed gradually and deputies were not allowed in and the exponents of the candidate Abdel Muhsin Al-Qamahawi
-At Ezbat Al-Hag Khalil , an officer from state security met all the heads of the committees and ordered all the committees to be closed
-Al-Ismailiyah: Detentions are incessant in MB lines
-Security forces arrested three MB members at Al-Ismailiyah, Ein Gusin
-The state security officer Ashraf Wasfy  arrested three MB members in front of Abdel Salam Arif Committee  and they are,

Ahmad Ibrahim Saadah
Muhammad Hassan Saadah
Yehiya Al-Said Muhammad
 

At Abu Swair at al Ismailiyah three MB members were detained in  front of Abu Swair committee at al-Ismailiyah and they are:
Ahmad Mustapha Eliwa
Jaber Ibrahim Abdel Salam
Muhammad Adel

Security forces started early at the morning to close several committees while the committees of Al-Shahid Ahmad Muneisi School at Qasasin (4) did not open already until 10:00 am  also the committee of Um Azam agricultural society at Qasain did not open

Voters were prevented from entering at the committee of Fatema Al-Zahraa school and The mayor Abu Khalifa prevented electorates from being in while at Al-Nasr in Qantara West electorates were not allowed in  and they kept telling  them: come at 10 Oh sayed !!!

The mayor of Al-Mahmasa village Tharwat  Sami assaulted Mr. Sayed Ramadan, an observer in the Egyptian organization for human rights and dismissed him from the committee and when he went to the head of the committee to complain, the head replied: It is not my business it is yours!!!

At Qantara East  and officer and some young policemen passed by the committee and fired the deputies and when deputies returned they discovered that ballot boxes are half full although from minutes they were empty.

Bani Suweif’s

Today’s Slogan: "close committees"
Most of the committees at Bandar Bani Suaif  were closed  and all committees at Ihnasya  after the independent candidate Muhammad Awad decided to quit yesterday to leave the competition between Jaber Mansour and the candidate of the National Party
Al-Fayoum

The officer at state security  controlled the headquarters at Bandar fayoum  wile the officer  Ahmad Abdel Tawab  prevented citizens from  reaching the ballot boxes  and supervised the blackening of ballots while the officer: Hisham Fahim was at the committee of Muhammad Salem primary school along with some thugs who statted terrorizing the exponents of Othman Dyan in order to leave.

State Security mobilized all its troops to intimidate citizens in the morning of Monday June, 11, 2007, the date of the Shura Council midterm elections. Policemen started to arrest MB members and dismissing all representatives.
Many committees were closed and ballots were stuffed. Lawyers Muhammad Rabi’e, mahmoud Amin and other 15 envoys of human rights organizations were detained.

Police detained women including Rabab Muhammd Abdel Aziz . The police held her for an hour and seized her ID in addition to attacking wife of citizen Muhammd Marzouq. Security forces used all means to intimidate supporters of MB candidate Othman Diab. After closing the committees and stuffing ballots from the early hours of the day of the Shura elections, the following candidates withdrew from the race:
1-Yasser Saloma 2- Ahmad Tawfiq 3- Ruby Ali Ruby

Protesting against violations perpetrated by state forces as the National Party candidate, Mamdouh Selim, supervised closing committees stuffing ballots and accompanied state security officers.

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