U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday congratulated Egypt on its first parliamentary election since former president Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in February.

"I congratulate the Egyptian people for a peaceful, successful start to their election process," Clinton said in a statement.

Open gallery view U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Credit: Reuters

She called for the transition to democracy to continue in a "just, transparent and inclusive manner.

"The American people will continue to stand by the people of Egypt as they move toward a democratically elected civilian government that respects universal human rights and will meet their aspirations for dignity, freedom, and a better life," she said.

The Muslim Brotherhood's party appeared to be leading Egypt's elections on Wednesday after 90 percent of the votes in a number of cities and provinces were counted, according to Al Jazeera.

Egypt's Al Nour party, considered a radical Islamic party, appeared to be in second place behind the Muslim Brotherhood, and the centrist party is only in third place, according to Al Jazeera.

The results show that the Muslim Brotherhood have become the strongest political force in the country since the fall of Hosni Mubarak, although it is still too early to announce whether they will enjoy the solid victory that has been expected, or whether they will see even greater success at the polls, as there are still votes to be counted, and this is only the first stage of Egypt's three-part elections.