Egypt's parliamentary elections - The second phase of Egypt's parliamentary (Lower House) elections got underway on Wednesday with voters casting their ballots in the governorates of Giza, Suez, Ismailia, Bani Suef, Sohag, Aswan, Beheirah, Sharqyah, and Monoufiah. PANA reports that the elections would last two days with the run-off for individual seats' contestants, representing one third of available parlimanent seats, taking place next week.

The race in the party lists' system, which constitutes two thirds of the seats, should be over by Thursday.

Voting in nine other governorates, including Cairo, and Alexandria, had taken place in the first phase durin which Egyptians turned out massively (60 per cent) for the process conducted under a largely-peaceful atmosphere.

The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party dominated the first phase, capturing nearly 48% of available seats in the party and individual list systems.

The Salafist party of Al-Nour came in a strong second, while the Kotla, a bloc of Egyptian liberal parties, came in third.

The third and final phase of Egypt's Lower House elections, which will feature the country's last nine governorates, should conclude before mid-January.

This is the north African country's first elections since the January 25 revolution toppled long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak in February.

The current electoral process is considered the first free and fair polls in the country's modern history and a stepping stone to the transfer of power by the interim ruling military council to an elected civilian authority in Egypt.

Pana 14/12/2011