In a close vote on Friday, Egypt’s Engineers Syndicate decided to withdraw confidence from syndicate head Maged El-Kholousy, who is believed to support the Muslim Brotherhood.

In an internal referendum, 56 percent of syndicate members voted to withdraw confidence in the current syndicate board, which is controlled by Brotherhood members, as well as El-Kholousy.

According to Al-Ahram Arabic, 15,843 syndicate members voted in the referendum at Cairo Stadium on Friday, and 15,773 votes were accepted as valid.

Non-Muslim Brotherhood members of the syndicate have accused the current board of using syndicate resources to help the Brotherhood, and of involving the syndicate in politics, as well working for the sake of a terrorist group. The Muslim Brotherhood was officially a terrorist organisation by the government in December.

El-Kholousy was elected head of the syndicate in 2011; for 17 years prior, the syndicate had no elected board and was instead under judicial control.

Minister of Irrigation and Water Mohamed Abdel Motaleb had reported the current board of the syndicate to the prosecutor-general, accusing them of financial impropriety, including allocating money from the syndicate's pension fund to non-syndicate members who were injured in the Brotherhood-led protest camps at Rabaa Al-Adawiya and Al-Nahda square last summer.

Pro-Muslim Brotherhood members urged their colleagues to head to Cairo Stadium to support El-Kholousy and the current board.

The gathering at Cairo Stadium witnessed chants and counter-chants from Brotherhood supporters and their opponents.

Muslim Brotherhood candidates were also defeated in the elections at the Doctors Syndicate in December.

Last month, members of the Doctors Syndicate in Cairo withdrew confidence from the body's pro-Muslim Brotherhood secretary-general and board, and elected a new board comprised of independents. The vote ended nearly two decades of Brotherhood control.