Accusations flare as Egyptians vote in 2nd round

CAIRO (AP) — Islamists and liberals have accused election officials
of filling out ballot forms for elderly or confused voters at some
polling stations during the second round of Egypt's parliamentary
elections. If confirmed as a pattern, the reports could chip away at the
credibility of what has so far been the freest and fairest vote in the
country's' modern history.
Under Hosni Mubarak's 30-year regime,
elections were systemically rigged and the corruption was a major
impetus behind the popular uprising that ousted the authoritarian leader
in February. But as the polls closed, it was still unclear how
widespread the problems were.
The head of the election commission,
Abdel-Moez Ibrahim, described the allegations of wrongdoing on Thursday
as "a strong wave of rumors, which aimed at driving wedge between the
judges and the people." He said he investigated some incidents and found
out that judges overseeing the voting were helping disabled, illiterate
voters. But because of the accusations, judges now tell voters asking
for help that this is not their role.
"If people lose confidence in their judges, this will lead to a state collapse," he said.