Egyptian election results delayed

CAIRO, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Announcement of first-round parliamentary election results in Egypt have been postponed until Friday, State TV reported Thursday.

Al-Masry al-Youm reported the postponement was because of delays in vote counting. The head of the high election committee, Ibrahim Abdel Moez, was scheduled to announce the results Thursday.

Preliminary results indicated strong showings for the Justice and Freedom Party, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, followed by the Salafi Nour Party, al-Masry al-Youm reported.

The Coptic Organizations Union in Europe -- Coptic Christians are an Egyptian minority -- condemned the use of Islamic religious slogans during the elections, but hailed what it called an unprecedented voter turnout. Some estimates have put voter turnout at 70 percent.

Meanwhile, reports in Egyptian media say the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party is hoping to form a government based on a new parliamentary majority, bikyamasr.com reported.

The FJP denied it is seeking to form a coalition with the Salafi Nour Party.

A second and third phase of voting is pending.