国际英语新闻：Egypt's ruling party wins 420 seats in parliamentary election

CAIRO, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) won a landslide victory in the parliamentary elections, according to the final results announced by the High Elections Commission (HEC) on Monday.

The NDP, led by President Hosni Mubarak, won 420 or around 83 percent of the 508 seats contested in the People's Assembly elections after the runoffs on Sunday, said HEC spokesman Sameh el- Kashef at a press conference late Monday.

The opposition parties won a total of 15 seats, among which the Wafd party won six seats and became the biggest opposition party. The Tagammu party won five seats, while the independent candidates won 69.

Complimentary elections would be held later for four seats, which are still up for grabs, el-Kashef added.

The voter turnout in the run-off registered 27 percent, compared to 35 percent during the first round, el-Kashef said.

The two major opposition blocs, the Muslim Brotherhood and the liberal Wafd party, decided to boycott the runoffs over alleged fraud and violence in the first round held on Nov. 28. But some Waft candidates violated the boycott order and contended in the run-off as independents.

The officially banned Muslim Brotherhood, the largest opposition group who controls one fifth seats of the outgoing People's assembly, failed to win a single seat in the elections, a signal that it would be politically shut out.

The NDP swept 209 out of 211 seats in the first round of voting. Some 566 candidates, including 383 from the NDP, contested the remaining 283 seats in the runoffs that were held among those who failed to meet 50 percent of votes in the first round.

Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif on Monday described the election as the best in Egypt's election history. He promised that his government would investigate fraud allegations, but election officials said the few reports of violations have been dealt with and have no effect on the results.

The overwhelming victory of the ruling party in the parliamentary election, analysts said, would pave the way for its winning in the presidential elections next year. Mubarak has not said whether he would seek a new term. Senior officials of the ruling party have said the president will be the party's presidential candidate if he wants.

With a population of around 78 million, Egypt plays an important role in the regional affairs of the Middle East.