Upper house parliament elections launch in Egypt

PanARMENIAN.Net - Voters in Egypt cast their ballots Tuesday, February 14 in the second and final stage of elections for the upper house of parliament, an advisory body with limited powers.

Voting is to take place over two days in 14 of the country's 27 provinces, with run-offs scheduled for February 22-23, M&C reported, citing DPA.

The parliamentary election, which began with voting for the lower house on November 28, is the first following the ouster of president Hosni Mubarak in a popular uprising a year ago.

Islamists have made a strong showing in the poll, with the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhoood, the Freedom and Justice Party winning around 47 per cent of the seats in the lower house. The hardline Salafist Al-Nour party has come in second, according to officials.

Two thirds of the 270-member Shura Council are directly elected, while the remaining third are appointed by the head of the state.

The new parliament, which will be tasked with appointing a panel to draft Egypt's post-Mubarak constitution, is scheduled to hold its first joint session on February 28.