In a surprise result, members of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood gained at least 25 more seats in the latest round of the country's parliamentary elections.

Early Interior Ministry figures showed the Brotherhood increasing its share in parliament to at least 72 seats, a more than fourfold jump over its representation in the outgoing parliament.

A a third and final stage of voting is scheduled on 1 December, with a runoff likely six days after that.

The outcome, if it becomes final, would push the Brotherhood theoretically past the number of seats needed under new constitutional rules to nominate a presidential candidate in 2011.

Complaints

Non-government organisations and judges monitoring the polls complained that security forces blocked thousands of the 10 million eligible voters from entering polling stations in nine provinces where 122 seats were in play after no candidate garnered more than half the vote in the second round of polling six days ago.

Before Saturday's vote the Brotherhood had racked up 47 of 186 decided seats. President Hosni Mubarak's NDP had won 122 seats and 17 went to other candidates in voting that began on 9 November.

While there was no chance that the Brotherhood would unseat the NDP, which with its allies held 388 of 454 seats in the previous People's Assembly or parliament, the Brotherhood showing was a stunning outcome for an organisation that previously held only 15 seats, with 41 occupied by other parties. Mubarak appointees fill 10 seats.

Sulayman Awwad, the presidential spokesman, said the press of developments in the Arab world were behind the cancellation and denied that election violence was the cause.

Violence denounced

Judge Hisham al-Bastawisy, deputy head of Egypt's Court of Cassation, denounced the violence in an interview with the Arab satellite television channel Al-Arabiya.

"What we've been hearing since early morning about what is happening at polling stations indicates this it is not an election. It's a battle. Judges have been attacked, some wounded, some prevented from entering polling stations," al-Bastawisy said.

Ali Abd al-Fattah, a senior Muslim Brotherhood member, said police arrested 680 members and supporters nationwide on Saturday, nearly 120 of them in Alexandria alone.

The first stage of voting was mainly peaceful, but - after an initially strong showing by the Brotherhood - violence and police interference increased greatly.

PHOTO CAPTION

Egyptian policemen arrest a man, center, outside a polling station in Tanta, Egypt, Saturday, where runoffs for Egypt's parliament elections take place. (AP)