CAIRO: The total number of women who run for 2015 Parliamentary elections reached 308 out of 5,420 candidates, or 5.6 percent.
Egyptian High Elections Commission (HEC) spokesperson Omar Marawan announced the figures Thursday for the first phase of the elections.
A total of 5,420 candidates and nine lists have been accepted to run in the first phase of parliamentary elections slated to kick off Oct. 17, the HEC announced. The first phase includes 14 governorates of Giza, Fayoum, Beni Suef, Minya, Assyut, New Valley, Sohag, Qena , Luxor, Aswan, Red Sea, Alexandria, Beheira, and Marsa Matrouh.
The most prominent candidate is belly dancer Sama al-Masry; her nomination request has been accepted to represent Cairo’ al-Gamalia district, homeland of President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.
Lawyer Samir Sabri filed Wednesday a complaint against accepting al-Masry’s nomination request as she lacks “trust and good reputation.”
Egypt’s House of Representatives will comprise of 596 members, with 448 to be elected as independents, 120 through the winner-take-all party lists system, with 28 seats to be appointed by the president, HEC said.
Egypt’s parliament was consists of two houses: Shura Council (upper house) and Peoples’ Assembly (the lower house); however, Shura Council cancelled and the Peoples’ Assembly was named the House of Representatives in 2014.