Early reports indicate pro-Sisi coalition topping polls in Upper Egypt, West Delta

Although official results from the polls are not yet in, preliminary reports indicate that the For the Love of Egypt electoral list is leading the vote in the West Delta and Upper Egypt, beating their closest rivals, the Salafi Nour Party. 

Spokesperson for the High Elections Commission (HEC) Amr Marwan said on Monday that the official results would be announced on Wednesday or Thursday.

For the Love of Egypt is a list that consists of 10 parties and several public figures — including security experts, former parliamentarians and businessmen — all outspoken in their support for President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his policies. The coalition is made up of the Conference Party, Conservative Party, Nation’s Future Party, Reform and Development Party and the Wafd Party, among others.

For the Love of Egypt’s main competitor this round was the Salafi Nour Party, whose stronghold in Alexandria witnessed the most fierce competition. The Nour Party reportedly led the vote in the Amereya and Borg al-Arab constituencies in Alexandria, while For the Love of Egypt was ahead in the Karmouz, Moharram Bek, Attareen, Mina al-Basal, Montazah, Dekheila, Raml and Sidi Gaber constituencies.

Six Nour Party candidates reportedly lost the elections in Alexandria, according to observers, while only four candidates are due to run in the second round. 

General coordinator of For the Love of Egypt's electoral list, former military General Sameh Seif al-Yazal, told the privately owned Al-Tahrir newspaper that the coalition's list had won 80 percent of seats in the West Delta and Upper Egypt. He added that the Nour Party only won votes from its direct supporters and lost much support from previous elections, particularly in Alexandria.

But Nour Party representatives told Al-Tahrir newspaper that they were leading the vote in Beheira governorate, part of the West Delta constituency.

The low support for the Nour Party is in stark contrast to the 2012 parliamentary elections, when they gained the largest number of seats after the Muslim Brotherhood — which has now been officially banned following the military backed ouster of President Mohamed Morsi from power in 2013. 

Most of the individual seats in Upper Egypt and West Delta constituencies will go to a second round of voting, according to observers.

While official turnout rates are yet to be announced, observers reported it was much lower than for the last parliamentary elections in 2012.

Prime Minister Sherif Ismail claimed in television interviews that the turnout rate was around 16 percent, while the Minister of Local Development Ahmed Zaki Badr put it at around 11 percent.

Fourteen governorates in Upper Egypt and the West Delta voted in the first stage of parliamentary elections on October 18-19, with Egyptians abroad voting on October 17-18. 

Voting in the first round took place in: Giza, Alexandria, Fayoum, Matrouh, Beheira, the Red Sea, Aswan, Luxor, Qena, Sohag, the New Valley, Assiut, Minya and Beni Suef, for 286 seats — 226 of which were allocated to individual candidates and the remaining 60 to electoral lists.

According to the new parliamentary elections law, individual candidates account for 80 percent of seats in the new parliament, with lists accounting for one fifth. This has raised concerns that parties will have less influence, while giving a greater advantage to individuals with money, power and familial connections.

Egypt has been without a legislative body since June 2012. One of the first tasks of the new parliament will be to discuss and review hundreds of laws passed in the absence of parliament in the first 15 days of its convening.

For more information on parties and key players in the elections, check out Mada Masr’s infographic on who’s who in the elections. 

For a breakdown of the electoral lists and individual seats and geographical distribution of voting, see Mada Masr’s elections explainer.