CAIRO: Egypt s ruling party has won 92 percent of the votes in municipal elections boycotted by the main opposition group the Muslim Brotherhood, a security official told AFP.
After calculating the results handed in from the individual municipalities, we can say the ruling party has won 92 percent of votes and eight percent went to opposition and independent candidates, the official said.
There are no official turnout figures, but many polling stations were empty on April 8, with the victory of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) never in doubt after many opposition candidates were denied registration, leaving NDP candidates to run unopposed.
The NDP had fielded a candidate for every one of the 52,000 council seats up for grabs.
The elections gained an unprecedented importance after a 2005 constitutional amendment requiring independent presidential candidates to secure the backing of local council members.
Those not belonging to political parties, including the banned Muslim Brotherhood whose members sit in parliament as independents, need the support of at least 10 local councilors in at least 14 provinces to stand.
The next presidential election is set for 2011. -AFP
