Egypt wraps up first round of post-Mubarak poll

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Egypt on Tuesday wrapped up the opening round of the first parliamentary elections since Hosni Mubarak's fall, with Islamists winning a landslide victory at the expense of weakened and divided liberals.

Turnout was low for the final day of run-off elections between individual candidates standing for the new parliament, which is to be chosen in a further two stages over coming months.

In voting last week for the new parties to be represented in the assembly, Islamist parties led by the influential Muslim Brotherhood as well as a new hardline Salafi movement picked up 65 percent of ballots cast.

The prospect of an Islamist-dominated parliament raises fears among liberals about religious freedom in a country with the Middle East's largest Christian minority, civil liberties and women's rights.

Liberal presidential candidate Mohamed ElBaradei accused the Islamists of relying too heavily on slogans which he said would soon become apparent if they gained power.

"Let them govern and have their chance. People will realise that slogans are not enough," ElBaradei said in an interview published on Tuesday by the independent newspaper Al-Shuruq.

He also stepped up his criticism of the military rulers who took power after the toppling of Mubarak in February, accusing them of mishandling the process of ushering in democracy in the Arab world's most populous nation.

"We live today in a fascist system with military tribunals and emergency law, and if there is another round of the revolution it will be full of anger and violence," he warned.

"The situation is going from bad to worse after the failure of the military council in managing the transition process," said ElBaradei, adding that young Egyptians were "completely despondent because nothing has changed."

The army rulers have chosen a highly complex election process to elect a new upper and lower parliament as well as a president that will end only in June next year under the current timetable.

The first of the three rounds of voting to choose the lower house of parliament has revealed various problems in a country with a long history of electoral abuse during the Mubarak era.

On Monday, after a confusing delay of several days in releasing results, the election commission dramatically revised down the turnout level from a "record" 62 percent announced last week to 52 percent.

It also said results from several polling stations in Cairo would be withheld because of violations, meaning voting in these areas will be re-run in January.

The leader of the Muslim Brotherhood has threatened to take to the streets if there is any attempt to manipulate results.

"We will take to the streets if there is any cheating in the elections or manipulation of the constitution," its leader Mohammed Badei told Egyptian television in comments reported by the press on Tuesday.

A new constitution is to be drawn up next year. The new civilian powers are set to face a fierce struggle with the army, which has already indicated it wants to retain many of its privileges, including oversight over military-related legislation.

The voting Tuesday is for run-off elections for 52 seats up for grabs in the new 498-seat lower house of parliament. The Islamists are expected to extend their crushing victory.

Candidates from the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party are standing in 47 of the contests, while the hardline Al-Nut party is fielding 26 members.

In the port city of Alexandria, all the run-offs are between competing Islamist candidates.