Heightened security as Egypt votes in second round of election

Egyptians were voting on Monday in the second phase of parliamentary elections, with polling taking place in 13 governorates under heightened security after the first round was marred by irregularities.

Voting, which runs until Tuesday, is being held in 73 constituencies where 1,316 candidates are contesting 141 individual seats.

A single electoral list, the National List for Egypt, is running unopposed for another 142 party‑list seats covering the Cairo, South and Central Delta, and East Delta constituencies.

According to the National Elections Authority, about 34.6 million registered voters are eligible to cast their ballots in this phase of the regional voting. The process is supervised by 9,200 judges drawn from the Administrative Prosecution and State Lawsuits authorities.

Egyptians abroad had already voted on 21 and 22 November. The elections are widely expected to produce another chamber loyal to President Abdel Fatteh El Sisi.

The second-phase governorates are Cairo, Qalyubia, Dakahlia, Menoufia, Gharbia, Kafr El Sheikh, Sharqia, Damietta, Port Said, Ismailia, Suez, North Sinai and South Sinai. Cairo is the busiest with 19 districts and 8.6 million registered voters.

Results are scheduled to be released on December 2, with run‑off voting taking place abroad on December 15 and 16, and inside Egypt on December 17 and 18. The final outcomes are due on December 25.

Mr El Sisi cast his ballot on Monday in the Cairo district of Heliopolis, his office said. Several cabinet members and senior officials also voted in their home constituencies.

The Interior Ministry and local authorities have tightened security around polling stations and deployed additional patrols after widespread complaints in the first stage about vote‑buying and ballot‑box irregularities.

Governorates have set up 24‑hour operations rooms linked to the National Network for Emergency and Public Safety, to co-ordinate with the cabinet’s central command unit.

Local Development Minister Manal Awad Mikhail said on Sunday that inspection teams had toured schools hosting polling centres to verify their readiness and safety measures.

Preparations included improved lighting, ventilation and backup power, as well as accessibility arrangements such as shaded waiting areas and wheelchairs for elderly voters and people with disabilities.

The latest stage follows the authority's decision last week to annul results in 19 constituencies across seven governorates – Giza, Fayoum, Assiut, Sohag, Qena, Alexandria and Beheira – due to what it described as “substantial defects” affecting the integrity of vote‑counting in the first phase.

Those annulments − representing roughly 26 per cent of first‑round districts − came shortly after Mr El Sisi urged the authority to review all reported violations “with full diligence” and ensure outcomes that reflect “the true will of the voters.”

Fresh voting in the affected constituencies will take place abroad on December 1 and 2 and inside Egypt on December 3 and 4, with results to be released on December 11.

Any necessary run‑offs are set for December 24 and 25 overseas and December 27 and 28 domestically. Final results in any such cases will be announced on January 4.

Egypt’s new 596‑seat House of Representatives is due to convene before the current chamber’s term ends in January, as is mandated by the constitution.