Polls open around Egypt for second stage of parliamentary elections

Polling stations opened in 13 of Egypt’s 27 governorates on Sunday, including Cairo, for the first day of voting in the second stage of the 2015 parliamentary elections.

As well as Cairo, voters in the governorates of Qalioubiya, Daqahliya, Menoufiya, Gharbiya, Kafr El-Sheikh, Sharqiya, Damietta, Port Said, Ismailia, Suez, North Sinai, and South Sinai will be able to cast their votes on Sunday and Monday, with polls open from 9am to 9pm.

Voters in the remaining 14 governorates had cast their votes in October, with turnout reaching 26.5 percent, according to the supervising High Elections Committee (HEC).

A total of 55,606,578 are eligible to vote in the elections.  27,402,353 were eligible to vote during the first stage, while 28,204,225 are eligible in the second.

A total of 282 parliamentary seats will be up for competition in the second stage, with 222 seats for independent candidates and 60 seats allocated to party-based lists.

The 222 independents will be elected from 102 constituencies, and the 60 party-based MPs will be elected in two separate constituencies, one which holds 45 seats and the other 15.

Egyptian expats registered as residents of any of the 13 governorates active in the second stage are eligible to vote at Egyptian diplomatic missions, beginning on Saturday and concluding on Sunday.

Egypt’s parliament — the House of Representatives — ‎will be comprised of 596 members, 448 elected as independents ‎and 120 from party-based lists. The remaining 28 seats ‎will be filled by presidential appointments.

Egypt has been without a parliament since the 2011 body was dissolved in June 2012 due to the unconstitutionality of an election law.

source:Ahram online