Muslim Brotherhood set for June vote
Published: May 18, 2010 at 3:52 PM

CAIRO, May 18 (UPI) -- The outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group in Egypt said 12 of its 14 candidates were approved to run in legislative elections scheduled for June.

The Muslim Brotherhood announced on its Ikwanweb news service that 12 of its members were approved to run in June 1 elections for the Shura council, the upper house of Parliament.

The group said that despite pledges of a transparent election, it was unlikely its members would win as military leaders and rivals in the ruling National Democratic Party would prevent them from scoring votes.

Lawmakers with the Muslim Brotherhood protested a series of crackdowns targeting opposition movements in Egypt. Riot police in early April clashed with protesters who were calling for democratic reforms as the country gets set for October parliamentary elections and a 2011 presidential race.

The election committee approved 490 candidates from NDP and the Muslim Brotherhood, who are running as independents. The rejected Muslim Brotherhood candidates were denied for not fulfilling military service requirements. The opposition group denies the charge.

The Muslim Brotherhood said a victory in the June 1 contest would be "unprecedented" as none of its members has served on the Shura council.

The group said the outcome of the June contest would likely set the political tone in Egypt for the coming elections. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has not signaled his intentions for the presidential contest, which could include Egyptian diplomat and former U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Mohammed ElBaradei.

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