Egypt elections enter second round

LONDON. December 14. KAZINFORM Egyptians are going to the polls for the second round of elections to a new parliament - the first since President Hosni Mubarak was toppled in February; Kazinform refers to BBC.

The first round earlier this month was dominated by Islamist parties, with the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party winning 36.6% of vote.

They are set to consolidate their gains this week, with polling taking place in more rural and conservative areas.

The long and complex election process will not be completed until next month.

The aim is to elect a lower house of parliament, which will then appoint a committee to draft a new constitution for the post-revolution era.

Voting has been staggered over three months to allow each round to be carefully supervised by the judiciary.

Islamist divide

Under Egypt's complex electoral system, two-thirds of the 498 elected seats in the People's Assembly will be picked through proportional representation, using lists drawn up by parties and alliances.

The remaining seats are decided by a first-past-the-post-system, with individual candidates required to win more than 50% of the votes to avoid a run-off contest.

The second round is taking place in nine regions, including some outer districts of the capital, Cairo, and in more rural regions around the Nile Delta, traditionally a stronghold of Political Islam.

Polling stations opened at 08:00 local time (06:00 GMT) and voting will take place over two days; Kazinform cites BBC.

To learn more go to www.bbc.co.uk