[JURIST] Egyptian police arrested 26 additional members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood [party website; FAS backgrounder] on Thursday, adding to the 54 members arrested [JURIST report] on Tuesday and the 86 arrested Wednesday. The Muslim Brotherhood said Wednesday that its candidates will still stay on the ballots [press release; Reuters report] for upcoming provincial council elections, and will complete nomination procedures even while in detention. AP has more.

The provincial council elections were originally scheduled for 2006, but the Egyptian legislature passed a law [JURIST report] delaying the election for two years after the Muslim Brotherhood made a strong showing in the 2005 parliamentary elections. The organization, which has accused the government of trying to prevent it from running candidates in the upcoming elections, also said that 43 members were detained on Monday. Egyptian police arrested additional members [JURIST report] last week. Muslim Brotherhood members officially run as independents in elections as the organization has been banned in Egypt [JURIST news archive] since 1954. The Egyptian government accuses the group of trying to create an Islamic theocracy through violence.