Egypt Snapshot: Mubarak "Pleased" But Protests Continue Over Elections

Yesterday, even as President Hosni Mubarak tried to settle any tensions over this month's Parliamentary elections, in which his ruling National Democratic Party won more than 90% of the seats, there were further signs of troubled political waters.

Addressing the NDP Parliament , Mubarak said, "As chairman of the National Democratic Party, I was pleased with the majority secured by the party." However, he then added, "As  president of Egypt I would have preferred to see more representation by the opposition."

Could Mubarak be suggesting that the NDP should not have been so blatant in arranging a landslide victory? Not exactly. 

Although the President tried to ease the impression of one-party rule by filling some of the appointed seats in Parliament with seven Christian Copts, a faction who were almost wiped out in the polls, he proclaimed that the elections were transparent. He acknowledged irregularities but said they only occurred in a few electoral districts and were promptly addressed by the Higher Committee for Elections.

In the end, Mubarak --- who almost certainly will be securing a new term as President in 2011 --- offered the image of a dedicated NDP: "We have a lot of hard work ahead of us to improve the quality of services provided to Egyptian citizens and to pass the required laws necessary for equity in the distribution of growth and development....[We are] trying to build a new reality and to introduce a tangible improvement to the life of every Egyptian citizen wherever they might be across the nation."

Some Egyptians, however, were not ready to let the elections go this weekend. 

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in front of the Supreme Court today chanting, "The parliament is null". Opposition parties united in protest, with  former MPs from the Muslim Brotherhood, Wafd, Ghad, Tagammu, and El-Karama parties claiming the polls were "blatantly rigged."

Movements such as Kifaya, the National Association for Change (NAC), the 6th of April Movement, and the new leftist group Hashd were also present, with the crowd raising copies of the Qur'an and the colourful banners of the organisations alongside the Egyptian national flag.