Opposition claims poll gains amid violence

CAIRO - Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets in election clashes yesterday that killed at least four people, and the Islamist opposition said it won nine seats despite police attempts to prevent voting.

President Hosni Mubarak's ruling party has maintained its majority but the Muslim Brotherhood has surprised the country by winning more than five times the number of seats it held in the last Parliament.

At least seven people have been killed since the staggered parliamentary election started on November 9.

The Government pledged to hold free and fair elections, but rights groups have accused the authorities of widespread abuses, including blocking access to polling stations, vote-buying and fabricating results.

The Brotherhood, which fielded candidates as independents because the Government bans it from forming a party, said it had expected to win 15 to 20 more seats in the latest round, but said this would depend on the extent of any security crackdown.

Brotherhood deputy leader Mohamed Habib said: "[The ruling party] does not want reform. It does not want a democratic climate. It wants to keep the political situation completely stagnant and paralysed."

The Interior Ministry denied security forces had barred voters and blamed the Brotherhood for violence.

- REUTERS