Egypt Schedules its Parliamentary Elections

Egypt's long promised and often delayed elections for a revived Parliament will take place in March and April, with runoffs if needed in May.

Ahram Online spells out the details:

Head of the Higher Elections Committee (HEC), Ayman Abbas said the first stage of the vote will take place 21-22 March for expats and 22-23 for residents in Egypt.

The second stage takes place on 25-26 April for expats and 26-27 April for Egypt residents.

Fourteen Egyptian governorates will vote in the first stage, while 11 governorates, including the capital Cairo, cast their ballots in the second stage.

In case a runoff vote is needed, it will take place from 31 March-2 April for the first stage and 5-7 May for the second stage.

An estimated 54 million Egyptians are registered voters and eligible to vote in the coming poll.

In a presser Thursday, Abbas said further details about NGO monitoring and media coverage will be announced within 30 days and published in the official gazette.

Egypt's new parliament will include 567 MPs, with 420 independents and 120 party-based deputies. The president will appoint 27 MPs.