Egypt's legislative elections, the first since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took office, are to be contested in phases between October 17 and December 2, the electoral commission announced on Sunday. The polls had initially been scheduled for early 2014 but were repeatedly delayed on legal grounds amid charges from rights groups of repressive measures by Sisi's regime which has cracked down on the Islamist opposition.
In a complex electoral system for the 568-member parliament, a sector of the electorate living abroad will vote on October 17, followed on the following two days by voters in 14 of the country's 27 provinces.