The Muslim Brotherhood has emerged as the main force in Egyptian politics after the first round of the country’s first ever free elections.

The results mean that the military which has been in power since overthrowing the British appointed monarch in the fifties may be finally releasing its hold on power.

The large turn out indicates that many Egyptians think so.

As democracy appears to be winning in one part of the world it is failing in another, namely that of Russia, where Vladmir Putin’s United Russia party won the parliamentary elections with a scaled back majority.

State-run RussiaToday was trying to put a positive spin on the results which are seen as a test of Putin’s popularity ahead of next year’s presidential elections.

However, an angry crowd in Moscow – some of whom were attacked by Russian police – were clearly not impressed by reports of widespread vote rigging and a clampdown on any independent monitoring.

Despite a heavy police presence today, people were still out to voice their anger.

On the surface, there is a gulf between both elections.

However, a closer look at the outcomes reveal that perhaps the choices of the people are not that different though.

Egyptians have followed the lead in Tunisia and Iraq, by voting for Islamists.

Could Russians vent their frustrations through a return to Communism – the emergence of the Communist Party during the parlimentary elections suggests so.

Either way, this appears to be a victory for reactionaries, not progressives.