Hosni Mubarak goes to Egyptian polls amid crackdown to silence the opposition

EGYPT is set to vote on Sunday in a parliamentary election which has seen a sweeping campaign to silence critics of ruling president Hosni Mubarak.

Critics have claimed Mr Mubarak, in power for almost 30 years, has been determined to silence his main opposition, the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood.

In the weeks leading up to the vote, police and armed gangs have broken up campaign events by Brotherhood candidates - even attacking the movement's top MP in his car. More than 1,000 Brotherhood supporters have been arrested.

At the same time, authorities have reined in the media, shutting several independent TV stations and forcing critics off the air on other channels.

The clampdown is seen as a sign of nervousness at an uncertain time. There are questions over 82-year-old Mr Mubarak's health and the country has seen a year of low-level but persistent street protests. They have been sparked by anger at food prices, unemployment and low pay. The Brotherhood, which is banned and yet remains Egypt's most organised opposition force, is contesting 30 per cent of seats, running its candidates as independents.

But the ruling party is expected to retain most of parliament's 508 seats, given the crackdown. The question will be whether the result will spark violence.

Tens of thousands of banners and posters have been draped around Cairo, and ruling party candidates have thrown festive campaign rallies, organising live music performances and often handing out food and other gifts to supporters.

Still, turnout in Egyptian elections is chronically low, about 25 per cent in the 2005 vote.

"I have not even considered voting," said 21-year-old student Ali Abdel-Halim. "Elections in Egypt are all about violence and vote buying. I have no faith in the process."

Egypt's Emergency Law, in place since 1981, gives police wide powers of arrest, meaning they have a relatively free hand to crack down on activists.

Further lowering excitement over the poll is the disappearance from the political landscape of Mohamed El-Baradei, a Nobel peace laureate whose return to Egypt this year to challenge Mr Mubarak's regime created a wave of support from reformists. But the buzz has fizzled out, with many blaming Mr Baradei's constant travels abroad. He will not be in Egypt on voting day.

The regime insists Sunday's vote will be fair - but has barred international observers claiming they would undermine Egypt's sovereignty.