Islamists look to extend gains in Egypt

Islamist candidates on Monday looked to extend their crushing victory in Egypts first parliamentary elections since the overthrow of president Hosni Mubarak, as voters turned out for run-off polls.Last week, residents in a third of the countrys districts including Cairo and second city Alexandria cast ballots at the start of the multi-stage polls, choosing a party and two candidates for a new 498-seat lower parliament.In the party returns, Islamists picked up at least 65 percent of votes, with the more moderate Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) in first place with 36.6 percent and the hardline Salafist party Al-Nur second with 24.4 percent.In the individual contests, all but four of the 56 seats up for grabs went into a run-off vote being held on Monday, with about 20 of them being contested between FJP and Al-Nur candidates.Whatever happens, the important thing is that an Islamist wins, said a woman dressed in black and wearing a veil revealing only her eyes as she handed out pamphlets for Al-Nur on Monday in the port city of Alexandria.The surge in Salafist groups, which advocate a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam dominant in Saudi Arabia, has raised fears among increasingly marginalised liberals about civil liberties and religious freedom.Voter turnout for the run-offs was far below the level seen last Monday and Tuesday -- revised down from 62 percent to 52 percent on Monday -- when queues had formed early in the morning outside polling stations.The head of the election committee, Abdel Moez Ibrahim, said results from several polling stations would be withheld after court rulings cancelling votes in them after complaints of violations.He said voting would continue in these stations, but we are not going to declare the results until the higher administrative court rules.Voting last Monday and Tuesday was only the opening phase of an election that will see the remaining two-thirds of districts go to the polls later this month and in January. Final results are due on January 13.