Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif on Monday defended the results of the current parliamentary elections against claims of ballot rigging.
Nazif said conduct during this year's poll, which included run-offs held on Sunday, was superior to the 2005 elections, which were subject to complete judicial oversight.
"I challenge anyone who claims there was interference by police or any other body in the elections," Nazif told reporters. "The criticisms leveled against the elections did not refer to a specific incident that we can focus on."
Nazif said the Muslim Brotherhood's indignation was due to their failure to win a single parliamentary seat during the race, adding that the group "came out with nothing from the elections, which they did not expect," causing a state of shock.
The prime minister also defended the formation of the new parliament, highlighting the success of opposition parties such as the Wafd, Tagammu, and Salam parties.
Major opposition players such as the Muslim Brotherhood, the Wafd Party, and independent runners withdrew from the run-offs last week, citing vote manipulation in favor of ruling party candidates.
Some nominees say similar rigging occurred during the run-offs in an effort to secure the largest number of opposition runners. Analysts say the government sought to give a more democratic-looking image to parliament by ensuring opposition representation. The government, however, says both rounds of elections were run transparently.
Rigging suspicions prompted the Independent Coalition for Election Observation to urge President Hosni Mubarak to disband the new parliament.
