Egypt’s Mursi calls parliamentary elections

PanARMENIAN.Net - Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi has called parliamentary elections, starting on April 27 and end in June, according to BBC News.

A presidential decree said voting would take place in four regional stages, due to a shortage of election supervisors.

Mursi and his Muslim Brotherhood movement hope the election will put an end to increasingly vocal opposition and street protests, analysts say.

The Islamist-dominated parliament was dissolved last June after judges ruled election laws were unconstitutional. In the last elections, in January 2012, the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice party won roughly 40% of the vote.

Egypt is deeply divided between Mursi's Islamist supporters and a liberal-led opposition, and has been wracked by unrest, insecurity and an economic crisis. Tensions have intensified since an Islamist-backed constitution - criticized for failing to protect key rights - was adopted in December.