Who’s afraid of the Brotherhood?
Amira Howeidy explores what the Muslim Brotherhood’s success at the polls really means

As a convoy of buses packed with supporters of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) approached the Damanhour polling station to allegedly swing the vote in favour of the NDP candidate a human chain brought the vehicles to a halt. Members of the Muslim Bro..

Bad day for the NDP
The ruling NDP took a beating in parliamentary elections at the hands of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, reports Gamal Essam El-Din

The results of the first round of the second stage of parliamentary elections produced more of the same for the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP). Sunday’s poll covered nine governorates, with the NDP losing 47 seats of the 144..

End of an era?
Reem Nafie watches as veteran opposition politician Khaled Mohieddin has a hard time in Qalyubiya

Kafr Shukr was calm last Sunday...

A different kind of fraternity
The Muslim Brotherhood seems to be gaining ground on university campuses as well. Mustafa El-Menshawy investigates

On the Cairo University campus, signs of the Muslim Brotherhood’s influence are clear. The group’s slogan -- "Islam is the Solution" -- adorns posters hanging everywhere; in classrooms, Muslim Brotherhood students often recite the Qura..

Fracas on the seafront
Amira Howeidy witnesses Alexandria’s ferocious elections battle

Last Sunday Alexandria witnessed some of the worst scenes of violence in the parliamentary elections. Dozens of thugs allegedly associated with the ruling National Democratic Party’s (NDP) candidates attacked several polling stations across the nation were the first round of the second stage o..

Elections 2005
To what extent have Egypt’s parliamentary elections lived up to expectations, asks Mohamed Sid-Ahmed

The parliamentary elections have been marred, as usual, by allegations of gross irregularities, dashing hopes that this time around the Egyptian people would be given a chance to express their free will in a truly democratic process. Despite this, however, the resu..

Towards the renaissance
The Muslim Brotherhood’s success in Egypt’s parliamentary elections is based on its honesty, diligence and appeal as a mirror of Islamic heritage, writes Essam El-Erian*

Reform in Egypt has been delayed for a long time. When its propitious signs first appeared on the horizon, some were filled with legitimate anxiety and fear the sources of which are understoo..

Political wastelands
The secular opposition is the biggest casualty of the parliamentary elections, writes Fatemah Farag

The losses have been staggering: all the leading figures of the left-leaning Tagammu Party lost their seats, including political veteran and former Free Officer Khaled Mohieddin in Kafr Shukr in Qalyoubiya, long-standing MP for Port Said El-Badri Farghali and labo..

Lessons learned
Amira Howeidy finds out why the Muslim Brotherhood is on target to win 100 parliamentary seats despite election fraud, violence and arrests  

 
During the last two weeks Islam Abdel-Hamid, 28, an accountant who also runs a small business of his own, has devoted the great majority of his time to the "cause" in which he believes. As "media coordinator" ..

As tough as it gets
With the judges entering the fray, the final stage of parliamentary elections scheduled for today and Wednesday will be more contentious than ever, reports Gamal Essam El-Din

The third and final stage of parliamentary elections begins today amid heightened tensions after the second stage ended on Saturday in a stand-off between the judges in charge of monitor..

Israel and Egypt’s elections

Ariel Sharon will certainly take ad..

Battling with illusions
There is both less and more to the struggle between the NDP and the Muslim Brotherhood than meets the eye, writes Samir Morcos*

Following the first two rounds of elections the political scene appears to have been reduced to a competition between the ruling party and the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). Perhaps one of the most prominent features of this scene is the u..

Mutual containment
The Muslim Brotherhood, far from adhering to defined principles, is a movement that employs political opportunism at will, writes Salah Eissa*

The most important revelation of the first two stages of parliamentary elections is that the theoretically-banned Muslim Brotherhood (MB) has made substantial gains. The MB has won 76 of the 302 seats filled so far; tha..