The second phase of Egypt's People's Assembly elections kicked off on Wednesday with more than 3000 candidates competing for 180 seats. Nineteen million eligible voters are expected to cast their ballots in nine provinces including Giza, Monufiya, Sharqiya, Ismailia, Suez, Beni Suef, Beheira, Sohag and Aswan. Polling stations are already seeing high turnout this morning. In this round, 2271 candidates are competing for 60 single-winner seats and 1116 contenders are running for the 120 seats that will be allocated to party lists proportionally. Islamists swept the first round of voting that began last month, with the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafis garnering nearly 40 percent and 25 percent, respectively. The high election commission, headed by Abdel Moez Ibrahim, has postponed voting for list-based seats in the second constituencies of both Beheira and Sohag, as well as the first constituency in Monufiya until 21 and 22 December, which coincides with the runoffs for single-winner seats in the same provinces. The decision was made following three court rulings that combined some of the party lists in those constituencies. 10:15 am: The Salafi Nour party is distributing flyers outside polling stations in Suez, violating a ban on campaigning during the vote. Outside one polling station, a woman approached a police officer to complain about other women in line who she claimed were urging fellow voters to cast ballots for the Salafi Nour Party and the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party. The police officer declined to intervene. 10:00 am: In the Agouza 3rd district of Giza, an Egypt Independent correspondent saw election monitors and civilians removing campaign posters, as campaigning during the poll is not allowed. At some point, a four-wheel car covered with posters of Conservative Party candidate Abdel Tawab al-Daragly stopped in front of the polling station and dropped off three cardboard boxes, which were immediately taken inside the school where the voting is taking place. 9:30 am: Lines are short at the Aw'af Primary School for Girls in Agouza, where fewer than 100 voters are calmly waiting. Monitors and civilians are tearing down campaign posters and making sure that garbage collectors cart the campaign material away.
