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Egyptians vote in second round of parliamentary polls

Xinhua, November 22, 2015 Adjust font size:

Egyptians began voting Sunday in the second phase of the country's first parliamentary election since former Islamist President Mohammed Morsi was ousted in 2013.

More than 28 million voters from 13 provinces are expected to cast their ballots on Sunday and Monday in the second phase, according to the country's High Electoral Committee.

The polls will mark the last milestone in Egypt's three-stage roadmap to democracy, after adopting the new constitution and holding the presidential elections.

Egypt has recorded a 26.56-percent voter turnout in the first stage on Oct.18 and 19, which was considered too low compared to the 2012 elections that elected a parliament dominated by Islamists with more than a 54-percent turnout.

The new parliament will be made up of 596 seats, of which 448 will be elected as independents, 120 go to winner-takes-all party lists, and the rest 28 will be presidential appointees.

The most populous Arab state has been without a parliament for about three years. The last parliament, which was elected in late 2011, months after the ouster of long-time leader Hosni Mubarak, was dissolved in June 2012 by a court order. Endit