Little interest as polls reopen for parliamentary elections Sunday

Parliamentary polls open for the remaining 13 governorates to little public interest following the first stage of elections, which were characterized by low turnout and clear winners.

Expatriate Egyptians voted on Saturday, while local polling stations will be open on Sunday and Monday for the second phase of the parliamentary elections.

Voters will choose candidates for individual and list-based seats in Cairo, North and South Sinai, in addition to the East Delta and Suez governorates. The governorates are divided into two electoral consitutencies for the list system: Cairo and the East Delta. The latter will guarantee 15 seats for For the Love of Egypt list, given that it is the only electoral list approved for this constituency. In Cairo, For the Love of Egypt will be competing with the Nour Party, the Egyptian Front and the Independence Current coalitions and the Republican Alliance for Social Forces for 45 seats.

The results of the first phase were announced following the vote in November. The state-aligned For the Love of Egypt list won all 60 seats for the list system, while the majority of individual seats were won by independent candidates, followed by candidates from the Free Egyptians Party and the Nation's Future Party, which is a part of For the Love of Egypt.

The High Elections Committee announced that the turnout for the first phase of the elections was 26 percent, with the runoff garnering a 21 percent turnout. These figures have been contested in light of empty polls, which prompted state-aligned TV presenters to blame citizens for their passivity and push them to participate.

While the elections have failed to attract public attention, the upcoming parliament has been long awaited as Egypt has been without an elected parliament since the dissolution of the Muslim Brotherhood-dominated parliament in 2013.