(MENAFN) Egypt on Monday kicked off the opening stage of its parliamentary elections, with citizens set to select members of the House of Representatives, local media reported.

A state-owned channel noted that nearly 63 million eligible voters are expected to participate in choosing 568 representatives across two voting phases.

The first phase spans two days and covers 14 provinces, including Alexandria, Assiut, Aswan, Beheira, Beni Suef, Fayoum, Giza, Luxor, Matrouh, Minya, New Valley, Qena, Red Sea, and Sohag. Polling is taking place in 5,606 subcommittees across 70 electoral districts.

A total of 1,287 candidates are vying for seats, with 1,143 running as independents under the individual system and 142 contesting via the party list system.

Egypt’s 596-seat House of Representatives comprises 568 elected members—split evenly between 284 chosen through a closed-list system and 284 through individual voting—along with 28 seats appointed directly by presidential decree.

The results of the first phase are scheduled to be announced on Nov. 18.

The Interior Ministry confirmed that a comprehensive security plan is in place to safeguard all polling stations.

Voting for Egyptians abroad occurred on Nov. 7-8 at embassies and consulates in 117 countries, the government media center reported.

Phase two of the elections will take place on Nov. 21-22 for expatriates and Nov. 24-25 for voters in the remaining 13 provinces, with results expected on Dec. 2.

These elections follow recent Senate votes for the upper chamber of parliament.

The House of Representatives serves as a cornerstone of Egypt’s political system, exercising both legislative and oversight powers under the constitution.

The current House, elected in late 2020, will complete its five-year mandate in January 2026.

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