Egypt Electıons Shura Councıl

epa02182225 An Egyptian woman is helped by elections staffers as she applies her finger in ink to sign, after casting her vote for the mid-term elections of the Shura Council - the upper, consultative house of the Egyptian parliament - at a polling station in Cairo, Egypt, 01 June 2010. The Shura council is composed of 264 members, 176 of whom are directly elected88 are appointed by the Egyptian President. Membership is on a rotating basis, with one third of the council renewed every three years. The Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest opposition group, protested on 30 May 'corruptionirregularities' ahead of the 01 June voting day. The Brotherhood, which is officially banned, will be taking part in the elections with about a dozen candidates as independents. The upper house of Egypt's bicameral legislature is dominated by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's National Democratic Party (NDP).  EPA/KHALED ELFIQI