Egypt parliamentary vote set for April 27

CAIRO: Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi on Thursday called parliamentary elections starting April 27, according to a presidential decree.

Voting will take place in four stages with the new People’s Assembly invited to convene on July 6, according to the decree.

The election comes at a time when Egypt is gripped by unrest, insecurity and a crippling economic crisis and the country is deeply divided between Morsi’s mainly Islamist supporters and a liberal-led opposition.

According to the decree, the first stage of voting will take place in five provinces including Cairo on April 27 and 28, with a run- off scheduled for May 4 and 5.

The second stage will see eight provinces going to the polls– including Giza and Alexandria– on May 15 and 16, with a run- off a week later.

Another eight provinces will vote on June 2 and 3, with a runoff scheduled for June 9 and 10.

The final stage of the parliamentary election will see six provinces voting on June 19 and 20, with a run- off on June 26 and 27.

The election comes after the adoption in December of an Islamist- backed constitution, widely criticised by the opposition and international rights groups for failing to protect key rights.

Earlier on Thursday, the Shura Council, the upper house of parliament that currently holds legislative power, adopted an electoral law that was amended by the Constitutional Court and sent it up to Morsi for ratification.

The law bans members of parliament from changing their political affi liations once elected. It also states that one- third of the seats should be reserved for independents.

Under ousted president Hosni Mubarak, independents who won seats often joined the president’s National Democratic Party following their election, widening the ruling party’s monopoly on power. — AFP