Shafik's candidacy was noted as supported by many in Egypt's Coptic Christian minority who are opposed to Islamist candidates in the election.

The popularity of Islamist parties has declined to the point that "the Islamist candidate, Abdallah Jaballah, came a distant third with 5% of the vote" in the 2004 presidential election.

Most Islamist candidates strongly oppose that idea, as do most candidates from Kuwait's powerful rural tribes.

Parliamentary elections law historically has under represented urban areas that are centers of support for Islamist candidates.

For the predominantly Islamist candidates who vied for the leadership of Jordan's most powerful professional association, the message was simple: "We know how to get elected."

The Islamist candidates tended to be backed by public figures and the religious establishment and won most of the seats in the Saudi cities such as Riyadh, Jeddah, Medina, Tabuk and Taif.

Abdallah Djaballah, an Islamist candidate, came in third, with 4.84 percent of the vote.

What's intriguing, though, is that in the latest student elections at Kuwait University, always a bellwether, Islamist candidates got wiped out by the independent, liberal and secular parties.

More than 30 Islamist candidates are expected to win seats, including 17 from Al Wefaq, a Shiite group, and six from the Sunni Salafi group Al Assalah.

"But I am campaigning for another Islamist candidate!"