Egypt concludes 1st phase of parliamentary elections

​​​​​​​By Hussien Elkabany and Rania Abu Shamala

CAIRO/ISTANBUL (AA) – Egypt concluded on Tuesday the first phase of voting in its parliamentary elections, which covered nearly half of the country’s provinces.

A second phase of the polls is scheduled to begin in about 10 days and will include the remaining provinces.

According to an Anadolu correspondent, the first stage of the vote to elect members of the House of Representatives, Egypt’s lower chamber of parliament, was held on Monday and Tuesday across 14 of the country’s 27 provinces.

Voting took place from 9 am (0700 GMT) to 9 pm (1900 GMT) on both days. Egyptians living abroad voted in the polls on Nov. 7 and 8.

Ahmed Bendary of the National Elections Authority said that Tuesday’s voting “witnessed a high turnout,” without specifying a figure, according to Egypt’s state news agency MENA.

A total of 1,281 candidates competed in the first phase of the polls, whose results are expected to be announced on Nov. 18.

The second phase of voting for Egyptians abroad will be held on Nov. 21–22, and inside Egypt on Nov. 24–25, with the final results to be announced on Dec. 2. This stage will cover 13 provinces, where 1,316 candidates will vie for seats.

According to the National Elections Authority, Egypt, a country of 108 million, has about 69 million registered voters.

The elections are being held by direct ballot, roughly three months after the elections of the Senate, the upper house of parliament, which took place in August.

The House of Representatives serves a five-year term as the country’s legislative body. It has no fewer than 450 members, with the constitution allowing the president to appoint up to 5% of them.

The Senate, also serving a five-year term, consists of 300 members, one-third of whom are appointed by the president, while the remaining two-thirds are elected.