CAIRO, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's ruling party scored big but the banned Muslim Brotherhood saw big gains in parliamentary runoff elections.
Incomplete returns show the National Democratic Party with 70 percent of the vote, or 111 seats won, giving the ruling body at least 314 seats, significantly less than the 404 seats it gained in 2000. But, it has maintained its crucial two-thirds parliamentary majority required to pass constitutional amendments, the BBC said.
The Muslim Brotherhood candidates, running as independents, set a record with 19 percent of the vote. The Muslim Brotherhood was awarded 11 seats and will have a total of 87 positions in the 454-strong People's Assembly, almost six times the number it had before.
Twelve seats will be contested in further runoffs.
Eight opposition activists were killed in scuffles with security forces during the election.
