Egyptians vote in second phase of parliamentary elections

Egyptians voted in the second phase of parliamentary elections on Monday in 13 governorates including Cairo and Suez.

More than 34 million people were eligible to vote in this second phase.

Polling stations opened after authorities annulled first-phase results in several constituencies last week over alleged violations.

The first stage of voting took place on 10 and 11 November in 14 provinces.

Widespread reports of violations prompted President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to order a review of the incidents.

The National Elections Authority scheduled a rerun in 19 out of 70 constituencies in December, due to irregularities regarding electoral advertisements and counting errors.

Sherif Toubar, a Cairo resident, said the decision to annul some results showed that “the people’s votes are valuable and the representatives who will enter the parliament must be the one the people chose.”

A total of 568 seats in the lower chamber are up for grabs, with over 2,500 candidates running as independents for half the seats. The other half is reserved for political parties, while el-Sissi will name 28 members, bringing the total number to 596.

The electoral process is being monitored by various international observers including the Arab League and the African Union, according to the Egyptian presidency.

The new parliament will be sworn in before the current chamber’s term expires in January.