Egypt election candidate shot dead in Sinai

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Unidentified gunmen on Saturday killed Mostafa Abdel Rahman, the Salafist “El Nour” party (ultraconservative) candidate who is running for parliament in Egypt’s North Sinai.

Police officials say they believe militants targeted the candidate to undermine the elections.

The new Egyptian President al-Sissi will cap it all with blacklisting the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization that he described as “more risky than the Islamic State”.

While the violence has largely been confined to Sinai, bombs have also hit other parts of the country, including Cairo.

Egypt has been witnessing anti-government attacks that have left hundreds of police and army personnel dead or injured since the downfall of president Mohammed Morsi in July 2013 after protests against his rule.

The first stage of the parliamentary elections started last week in fourteen Egyptian governorates.

Egypt’s economy is still reeling from years of turmoil following the 2011 toppling of longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

A senior member and money provider of the Egyptian banned Muslim Brotherhood organization was arrested on Thursday.

Observers say the outcome of this election is a foregone conclusion and expect the 596-member parliament to firmly represent Sisi’s policies in the absence of any opposition.