Egyptians Cast Ballots as Parliamentary Elections Enter Second Phase

Egyptians headed to the polls on Monday for the second round of parliamentary elections across 13 governorates, among them Cairo and Suez. More than 34 million eligible voters were invited to participate in this phase, which commenced after authorities nullified results from several districts last week following reports of electoral breaches.

The initial round of voting was conducted on 10 and 11 November in 14 governorates. Extensive allegations of misconduct prompted President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to order a comprehensive review of the incidents. As a result, the National Elections Authority announced that 19 of the 70 constituencies would undergo repeat elections in December due to infractions related to campaign violations and tallying inconsistencies.

Sherif Toubar, a resident of Cairo, remarked that the decision to void certain outcomes demonstrated that “citizens’ ballots carry weight, and those who secure seats in parliament must genuinely reflect the people’s will.”

A total of 568 seats in the House of Representatives are being contested, with over 2,500 independents competing for half of them. The remaining seats are allocated to political parties, while President el-Sissi will appoint an additional 28 members, bringing the assembly’s total to 596 legislators.

According to the Egyptian presidency, the electoral exercise is being supervised by several international missions, including observers from the Arab League and the African Union. The newly elected parliament is expected to assume office before the current legislature’s mandate concludes in January.

Source: Africa News