Protest in Egypt against rigged elections
reuters: More than 200 opposition supporters protested in Cairo on Monday against what they said were rigged parliamentary elections in which President Hosni Mubarak's ruling party won some three quarters of the seats.
The demonstrators from the Kefaya Movement also condemned the deaths of 12 people in violence during the elections, which took part in three stages over a month and ended last week.
"This is the first protest after the elections, against what happened in the elections -- the forgery and the beatings that occurred," Kefaya coordinator George Ishak told Reuters.
Monitoring groups said the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) resorted to bribery and coercion to secure votes.
London-based Amnesty International said it was calling on the government to launch an independent inquiry into police shootings on the last day of voting, December 7, in which Amnesty and other rights groups say at least eight people died.
"The organisation said the investigation should focus on the circumstances in which police used lethal fire and ensure that any officers or other officials responsible for using or ordering excessive force should be brought to justice," Amnesty said in a statement sent to Reuters on Monday.
The demonstrators began their protest in front of a court in central Cairo before marching in nearby streets. They called for the resignation of Interior Minister Habib el-Adli and carried a coffin inscribed "Funeral of the elections".
"This return to the street is for the simple reason that the route of change through elections is blocked," said Abdel Halim Kandil, a spokesman for Kefaya, a loose grouping of political pro-reform activists.
"DOWN, DOWN MUBARAK"
During the month of voting, riot police blocked polling stations in areas where opposition candidates, predominantly from the Muslim Brotherhood, had strong support. The Brotherhood won nearly 20 percent of the seats.
Security forces also harassed and beat journalists and confiscated their equipment. The authorities blamed violence on supporters of opposition candidates.
Protesters on Monday said they invited the Brotherhood to attend but said only a few individuals from the group came.
"The Brotherhood don't like our slogans like 'Down, Down Mubarak' ... They think it will escalate their problems with the authorities," said Ahmed Salah, a Kefaya youth coordinator. "We respect them and their victory is a victory for the opposition."
Police arrested hundreds of Brotherhood members during the elections.
Kefaya sprang up last year to campaign against a fifth 6-year presidential term for Mubarak or any transfer of power to his son Gamal.
Mubarak won the fifth term in Egypt's first multi-candidate presidential election in September with 89 percent of the vote. Link
The demonstrators from the Kefaya Movement also condemned the deaths of 12 people in violence during the elections, which took part in three stages over a month and ended last week.
"This is the first protest after the elections, against what happened in the elections -- the forgery and the beatings that occurred," Kefaya coordinator George Ishak told Reuters.
Monitoring groups said the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) resorted to bribery and coercion to secure votes.
London-based Amnesty International said it was calling on the government to launch an independent inquiry into police shootings on the last day of voting, December 7, in which Amnesty and other rights groups say at least eight people died.
"The organisation said the investigation should focus on the circumstances in which police used lethal fire and ensure that any officers or other officials responsible for using or ordering excessive force should be brought to justice," Amnesty said in a statement sent to Reuters on Monday.
The demonstrators began their protest in front of a court in central Cairo before marching in nearby streets. They called for the resignation of Interior Minister Habib el-Adli and carried a coffin inscribed "Funeral of the elections".
"This return to the street is for the simple reason that the route of change through elections is blocked," said Abdel Halim Kandil, a spokesman for Kefaya, a loose grouping of political pro-reform activists.
"DOWN, DOWN MUBARAK"
During the month of voting, riot police blocked polling stations in areas where opposition candidates, predominantly from the Muslim Brotherhood, had strong support. The Brotherhood won nearly 20 percent of the seats.
Security forces also harassed and beat journalists and confiscated their equipment. The authorities blamed violence on supporters of opposition candidates.
Protesters on Monday said they invited the Brotherhood to attend but said only a few individuals from the group came.
"The Brotherhood don't like our slogans like 'Down, Down Mubarak' ... They think it will escalate their problems with the authorities," said Ahmed Salah, a Kefaya youth coordinator. "We respect them and their victory is a victory for the opposition."
Police arrested hundreds of Brotherhood members during the elections.
Kefaya sprang up last year to campaign against a fifth 6-year presidential term for Mubarak or any transfer of power to his son Gamal.
Mubarak won the fifth term in Egypt's first multi-candidate presidential election in September with 89 percent of the vote. Link
posted by exoplanet at 9:42 PM
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