Egyptians headed Tuesday to a municipal poll boycotted by the main opposition movement the Muslim Brotherhood, against a backdrop of popular discontent over price rises in which one boy has died.
Ahead of the vote, the ruling National Democratic Party initiated a sweeping clampdown on the opposition, but the regime seems to be under growing pressure after two days of unrest centred on the Nile Delta city of Mahalla el-Kobra.
A 15-year-old Egyptian boy died in the city, home to the country's largest textile mill and some of its more militant workers, after being shot by police during clashes on Monday, a security official and medic said. According to AFP, a doctor said close to 100 people had been injured in two nights of protests, and that seven were in a critical condition. Around 300 people have been detained and now face charges of rioting.
A number of workers and residents protesting over low pay and the rising cost of living were arrested late on Monday after they destroyed a large portrait of President Hosni Mubarak as well as banners of his NDP.
Nationwide, only 30 percent of seats were being contested, MENA said, as the NDP has already won 70 percent unopposed. Results will be declared on Wednesday and over the following five days. The NDP is fielding a candidate for every one of the 52,000 council seats up for grabs.
The local elections gained an unprecedented importance after a 2005 constitutional amendment requiring independent presidential candidates to secure the backing of councillors. Those not belonging to political parties, including the banned opposition Muslim Brotherhood whose members sit in parliament as independents, now need the support of at least 10 local councillors in at least 14 provinces to stand.
