Egypt went to the polls yesterday to elect a new Popular Assembly for the first time since the country's first multicandidate presidential race earlier this year. The elections are expected to see President Hosni Mubarak's ruling party National Democratic Party (NDP) retain its grip on power despite an unprecedented push from the opposition.The Opposition Muslim Brotherhood movement cried foul over what it described as widespread fraud by the NDP, but independent monitors gave a more positive assessment of the polling process. Yesterday's poll is the first round in three that will take place in the next six weeks. Election officials reported a turnout of 12 to 15 percent of registered voters.