Egypt's Higher Electoral Commission (HEC) announced on Saturday that 10 satellite TV channels have violated electoral campaigning regulations. The channels will face penalties that the HEC will announce soon, HEC spokesperson Omar Marwan said at a press conference. The HEC has not yet revealed the nature of the violations. HEC rules dictate that an independent candidate cannot spend more than LE500,000 in the first round and LE200,000 should a run-off take place. The list of 15 candidates cannot exceed the spending limits of LE2.5 million in the first round and LE1 million in the case of a run-off, while the other list of 45 candidates cannot exceed the spending limits of LE7.5 million in the first round and LE3 million in the case of a run-off. Candidates are prohibited from using religious slogans or racially discriminatory slogans, or using mosques or churches to campaign. The HEC is a seven-member judicial committee in charge of supervising the polls, which will be held between 17 October and 2 December and are divided into two stages, the first for voters in 14 governorates and the second for those in the remaining 13. The election represents the third and final part of the political roadmap put forward after the ouster of Mohamed Morsi in 2013. The first step was a new constitution, passed by a public referendum on 18 January 2014. The second was the election of a new president, which saw former army chief Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi elected on 8 June 2014. http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/152594.aspx
