Egypt starts voting in first stage of parliament elections

Polling stations opened Saturday in Egypt for parliamentary elections in which there was little doubt of a sweeping victory for supporters of President Abdel Fattah Al Sissi.

Some 63 million voters out of Egypt's more than 100 million people are eligible to elect 568 of the 596 lawmakers in the lower house, widely seen as a rubber-stamp body for executive policies.

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The remaining deputies will be appointed by former army general-turned-president Sisi, whose government has over the past six years silenced any serious political opposition to its rule.

The elections will be held in two phases, with the first covering 14 provinces on Saturday and Sunday. The second, on November 7-8, will cover 13 provinces including the capital Cairo.

President Abdel Fattah Al Sissi. File photo

Giant billboards and banners have sprung up across the bustling capital Cairo and elsewhere urging Egyptians to head to the polls, while some candidates have released online music video clips to draw support.

Many of the candidates also stood for election five years ago in a political landscape marked by the presence of dozens of parties with little weight and influence on the ground.

The outgoing parliament, elected in 2015, was packed with Sisi supporters and featured only a small opposition bloc known as 25/30.

People queue to cast their vote in Giza, Egypt, on Saturday. Amr Abdallah Dalsh/ Reuters

The new parliament will be the second to convene under Sisi, who took office in 2014 after leading the military ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

Run-offs will be held in November, and final results are to be announced in December.

Over 4,000 candidates, believed to be mostly pro-government, are competing for 284 of the 568 seats reserved for individuals. Meanwhile, eight party lists are also running for the remaining 284 seats.