CAIRO, June 22 (UPI) -- A year after President Hosni Mubarak faced opposition for the first time in an election, Egypt has rolled back its tentative efforts at democracy.
Mubarak has cracked down on the press and jailed hundreds of members of opposition parties, the Times of London reports. The government also postponed local elections that were to be held this year until 2008.
The crackdown is a reaction to last year's parliamentary elections, when 88 people affiliated with Muslim Brotherhood won seats. The group, which is banned in Egypt, effectively became the largest opposition party.
The Hamas victory in the recent Palestinian elections also frightened the government.
Gamal Mubarak, the president's son, told the Times the government remains committed to democracy, but members of the Muslim Brotherhood disagree.
"Seven hundred of our members have been arrested for participating in street demonstrations," said Hamdi Hassan, a member of parliament. "Eight out of 12 members of our politburo are behind bars. The Government is trying to reduce the space in which we can move," he said.
