CAIRO: A total of 16,000 judges will oversee the first phase of Egypt’s parliamentary elections in 103 electoral districts that comprise 5,460 polling stations and sub-committees nationwide, the High Elections Committee (HEC) spokesperson Omar Marwan announced in a press conference Thursday.
According to Marwan, 17,465 local observers from 81 local organizations and 717 foreign observers from seven international organizations will monitor the first phase of the elections scheduled to kick off October 17 in 14 governorates.
A total of 286 parliament seats are available in the first phase of the elections, Marwan announced in a news conference Tuesday, pointing out that 2,573 independent candidates, including 112 women, will be competing for 226 seats while six party lists will be competing for 60 seats.
Sixty five percent of the candidates are independent while the party-based candidates represent 35 percent, he added.
The campaign spending per candidate is limited to 500,000 EGP ($64,000) with an additional 200,000 EGP for run-offs; Marwan announced a news conference late August.
According to the timetable set earlier by the HEC; campaign silence begins Oct. 16 at noon, and the voting for Egyptians abroad begins Oct. 17 and 18 while the vote for Egyptians inside Egypt is scheduled for Oct. 18 and 19.
Egypt’s parliament 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.
Egypt has not had a parliament since June 2012, after the Islamist-dominated People’s Assembly was dissolved per a court order about six months after its election.