Thuggery is the solution · Global Voices
Mostafa Hussein

The second stage of Egpytian elections were marked by violence and wide spread irregularities. Officially one died during the first run of the elections and several wounded. But opposition newspapers claimed four died on that day. Few days later another man was killed and 21 were injured in election related clashes. 450 Muslim Brotherhood (MB) activists were detained, most of them were released few days afterwards.
On the day of the first run of the second stage. Mohammed together with Haisam and few others decided to take the risk and go see what was happening in several areas in Alexandria.
In two long posts, Mohamed describes (Arabic) what he has witnessed; swords, knifes, sticks, vote buying, police inaction, thugs intimidating voters, clashes between MB and thugs, broken car windshields. At one point, Haisam was slapped on his back of his nape by one of the thugs. While they were kicked out of a street while publicly cursed and insulted by a coffee shop owner who turned his business into a center for organizing vote buying to the NDP.
Haisam witnessed thugs beating women supporting the MB in front of a voting station. They also hear from other people who witnessed wide spread irregularities including breaking ballot boxes, clashes, people injured and the man who got killed.
Mohammed said he felt it was like war coverage and not election coverage.
Bigpharoh posts several photographs from news wires of clashes and fights. While Egyptian Conscience posts some photos taken by amateurs.
Wa7da Masrya describes her voting experience (Arabic) that day and how she was pressured by MB supporters to vote for them. Yet she refused.
As for the results of this bloody round, we are still waiting for the re-run. However, the MB secured 14 seats. Sandmonkey did the math:
Welcome to the second round of our parliamentarian elections. I am Sandmonkey, and I will be your host for the evening. So far we know that the MB has won 14 seats, which brings their total to 48 seats, and are likely to go into a run-off elections in 4 more, which if they win, will bring their total to 50 seats, 3 X what they had last elections. Once they hit 60 seats it will be really hard to decline them a party, and once they hit 65 seats they will be able to field their own presidential candidate for the next presidential elections. Oh Joy.
As for what happened in the past few weeks here is a summary of the first stage:
The opposition formed a coalition against the NDP, while the Muslim Brotherhood didn't join this front. Both the NDP and the MB campaigns were the most visible. With the MB slogan “Islam is the solution”.
After the first and second run of the first stage of elections the MB won 34 seats (40 after the first run of the second stage). NDP and indpendants who join the NDP secured most of the remaining seats. While the opposition only won 8 seats. With its most prominent leaders losing their seats.