Egyptian Election Update, October 18, 2011

On Wednesday October 12, 2011, election committees nationwide began accepting nomination applications for Egypt's November 28th Parliamentary elections.
Many observers believe that the MB's Freedom and Justice party is extremely prepared for these elections organizationally and politically.
Meanwhile, papers reported that some political forces are considering boycotting the elections. The SCAF has announced that two thirds of parliamentary seats will be allocated to list based candidacies, and one third to the single winner system. Political parties have expressed  concerns that the single-winner system favors remnants of the NDP.
Meanwhile, confrontations between the Salafis and the MB are escalating. There are two major coalitions. The MB Freedom and Justice party is a member of the Democratic Alliance. A recently formed coalition of Salafi parties includes the Jama'a al-Islamiya party. The Salafis are ultraconservative Islamists, and have left the Democratic Alliance to form their own coalition. ("Confrontation Escalates between Brotherhood and Salafis," Al Masry Al Youm, October 17, 2011) The President of the Omma al-Gadid Party filed two lawsuits against the Democratic Alliance and the MB's Freedom and Justice Party. He accused them of stacking the list with their candidates, while underrepresenting the 18 alliance member parties.