Salafists furious after poll rout

Cairo: Leader of Egypt’s Salafist Al Nour condemned on Thursday the country’s parliamentary elections, the first in more than three years, after his party failed to secure a single seat in last week’s first round of the polls.

Younes Makhyoun called the election “one of the worst “in Egypt. “It will remain a black spot in the history of this era,” Makyoun posted on his Facebook page.

He said that the party will evaluate the first round of the polls including alleged irregularities amid unconfirmed reports that Al Nour may pull out of the race.

His comment came a day after the election commission said that all the 60 seats up for grabs for the party-based lists in the first phase of the election were won by “For the Love of Egypt”, a secular bloc openly backing President Abdul Fattah Al Sissi.

Al Nour, the only Islamic force running in the two-round polls, held a quarter of the 2012 parliament coming only after the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood. The Islamist-dominated legislature was dissolved months later.

“We are facing a war because we are defending the Islamic identity,” said Ahmad Abdullah, a member of Al Nour. “Our loss in the election does not mean a waste of our efforts. We are waiting for our reward from God.”

Twenty-four contenders from Al Nour will vie in next week’s run-offs in which 222 seats reserved for individual candidates will be at the centre of competition.

Egypt’s electoral system allows political parties to field contestants for the individual seats, which make up around 75 per cent of the new 596-strong legislature.

Al Nour backed the army’s 2013 overthrow of president Mohammad Mursi of Brotherhood following enormous street protests against his rule.

In recent months, Al Nour has come under heavy criticism from secularists and pro-government media, accusing it of being a proxy for the Brotherhood and an umbrella for militants.

The party has denied the accusations, saying the campaign is aimed at smearing its image.