Final phase of Egypt’s House of Representatives elections underway
Second phase of elections wraps up on Sunday and allows over 31 million people to vote
The final phase of elections for Egypt’s House of Representatives is underway in 13 Egyptian governorates and will continue until Sunday evening.
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi cast his vote on Saturday morning at Martyr Mostafa Yousry Abu Emeira School in Heliopolis, according to his spokesman Ambassador Bassam Rady.
More than 30 million people are eligible to vote in the second phase, which was held for Egyptian expats between Nov. 4-6.
The 13 governorates
are:
Cairo, Qalioubeya, Daqahleya, Menoufeya, Gharbeya, Kafr ElSheikh, Sharqeya, Damietta, Port Said, Ismailia, Suez, North Sinai and South Sinai.
The results are set to be published in the official gazette on Nov. 15, with the final results of both phases to be announced on Dec. 14.
The first phase for Egyptians abroad was held between Oct. 2123 and on Oct. 24 and 25 for citizens in Egypt.
The rerun of that phase over some individual seats will be held on Nov. 21-23 for expats, and Nov. 24-25 for resident citizens.
The rerun of the second phase of voting will be held on Dec. 5-7 for expats, and Dec. 7-8 for resi
dent citizens.
It covered 14 governorates: Giza, Fayoum, Beni Sweif, Menya, Assyuit, the New Valley, Sohag, Qena, Luxor, Aswan, the Red Sea, Alexandria, Beheira, and Matrouh. Egypt’s National Election Authority announced that 31,719,224 people were registered in the database for the first phase. It said that turnout was 9,069,728 voters, standing at 28.6 percent locally and abroad.
The National Alliance, led by the Mostaqbal Watan Party, won 142 seats out of 284 in the first phase.
The elections are taking place amid tight security, in addition to health measures that have been imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
They are also being held under full judicial supervision and are being monitored by nongovernmental organizations from European and African countries, in addition to an Arab Parliament delegation. The House of Representatives has 284 representatives who are elected through the “absolute closed lists” system, and 284 who are elected via the individual system.
The total number of representatives is 568, including 142 women in accordance with a 25 percent parliamentary quota for female representation.
The president appoints a further 28 representatives, including seven women, in accordance with his legally prescribed right of 5 percent. The total number of representatives is 596.
This is the second House of Representatives election since the June 30 revolution of 2013.