Egypt's outgoing interim President Adly Mansour has signed parliamentary elections legislation into law, Al-Ahram's Arabic news website reported. According to the law, the number of seats of Egypt's House of Representatives will be decreased to 567 from the originally proposed figure of 630. The decision comes after a cabinet meeting held by interim Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahleb on Wednesday evening in which a decrease in the number of parliamentary seats was endorsed. Of the total 567 seats, 420 will be elected via the individual candidacy system, while as many as 120 will be reserved for party lists. As many as 27 seats – 5 percent – will be named by the president, in accordance with the new constitution. The law stipulates that each list of party-based candidates must include three women, three Coptic Christians and two representing farmers and workers. The law also stipulates that each individual candidacy list must include nine seats for Coptic Christians, six for workers and farmers, six others for youth, three for persons with special needs and three for expats. Also, 56 seats will be for women on the individual candidacy lists, in addition to the seats that will be by appointment or for absolute closed party lists. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/103021.aspx
