Seventeen people were injured Saturday, six of them seriously, when Egyptian police and supporters of an independent candidate for the consultative council elections clashed in the Gharbiya, around 100 kilometers north of the capital Cairo, reported the daily Al Ahram.
The incident occurred when supporters of the independent candidate Mohammad Sukkar threw stones at police blocking access to polling stations, said the paper.
The police dispersed them with tear gas grenades, after some of Sukkar's supporters set three vehicles on fire and attempted to block the railway line linking Gharbiya to Cairo.
Among the injured were two policemen.
Forty-three candidates ran in Saturday’s run-off mid-term elections in five governorates: Gharbiya, Demyat, Sharqeyyah, South Sinai and Duqhelya.
The 264-seat Shura Council is a consultative body that serves as an upper house.
According to the constitution, there should be no less than 132 members, two thirds of them elected by secret ballot, while the remaining third is appointed by the president.
The council provides consultations on constitutional and other major issues - Albawaba.com
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