Parliamentary election registration starts in Egypt

Electoral committees formed in courts of appeal across Egypt started Wednesday the registration process amid protests and boycott threats of some political parties. The registration process of the parliamentary elections scheduled for Nov. 28 will end on Oct. 18. Candidates can register between 9 a.m. (0700 GMT) and 2 p.m. ( 1200 GMT) except for the final day on which the registration will be extended by three hours. Some youth coalitions like the Revolution's Youth Union had decided to boycott the upcoming elections although the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) amended the Election Law under the pressure of political parties and movements demanding the banning of members of the former ruling National Democratic Party (NDP). According to the latest modification, political parties were allowed to contest the one third seats originally reserved for the individual candidates, which was reportedly given a chance for members of NDP. In light of the unstable security situation Egypt was passing through, Judge Abdel-Moez Ibrahim called the Interior Ministry and the SCAF to take necessary measures to guarantee a transparent and peaceful election. Thousands of Coptic Christians demonstrated on Sunday evening in front of the state television building over an attack by Muslims on a church in southern Aswan province at the end of September. The protests then turned into the most deadly clashes since the fall of ex-president Hosni Mubarak in February, leaving 25 people dead and about 320 injured.