Polls opened in Egypt on Saturday for parliamentary elections that will stretch over several weeks and are set to be dominated by supporters of President Abdel Fatah Al Sisi.
A first round of voting will end on Sunday, with a second-round on Nov.7-8. Run-offs will take place in late November and early December.
The polls are being held under a new electoral law under which 50% of 568 contested seats will be allocated to pre-selected lists.
The remaining contested seats will be allocated to individual candidates, and Sisi can appoint up to 28 legislators directly.
Mostaqbal Watn (Nation’s Future), which in August won nearly three-quarters of the contested seats in an election for Egypt’s Senate, an advisory body, is the favourite to come out top.
Supporters say the measures have been necessary to stabilise the country and carry out economic reforms that have won praise from many economists and international financial institutions.
As Sisi has consolidated control, interest in politics has dropped, with electoral turnout gradually declining. Election authorities reiterated previous warnings that those who boycott the vote could be fined up to 500 Egyptian pounds ($32).
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