Egypt

Egypt to hold parliamentary election starting March 22-23

Egypt will hold a parliamentary election in two phases starting on March 22-23, the election commission said on Thursday, something the government hopes will deliver political and economic stability after nearly four years of turmoil.

The most populous Arab country has been without a parliament since June 2012, when a court dissolved the democratically-elected main chamber, reversing a major accomplishment of the 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

The parliamentary election is the final step in a political roadmap the army announced in July 2013 after it toppled elected Islamist president Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood following mass protests against his rule.

The second phase of the poll will be held on April 26-27.

Egyptian leaders say the parliamentary election shows their commitment to democracy.

Critics say President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who as army chief toppled Mursi, has reversed freedoms gained after the popular uprising that ended 30 years of autocratic rule under Mubarak.

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