Egypt's Supreme Elections Commission (SEC) has announced that the first stage of polling for the Shura Council (the upper, consultative house of Egypt's parliament) would be held on 29/30 January, Ahram Online reported.
According to an SEC statement, the total number of Shura Council members would be maintained at 270, of whom 180 would be elected directly while the remaining 90 would be appointed by the head of state for a period of six years.
Council membership for elected members will be renewed every three years, the statement noted, adding that half of the council's seats should be held by labourers and farmers.
As for the electoral system to be applied, 120 council members will be elected via the party-list system, while 60 members will be elected based on individual candidacies in 30 electoral districts throughout the country.
Shura Council elections will be held in two stages, with the first on 29/30 January and the second on 14/15 February. First-stage runoffs are slated for 7 February; second-stage runoffs for 22 February.
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