CAIRO: Egypt's first parliamentary elections since the fall of president Hosni Mubarak's regime will be held in 12 stages, including run-offs, over a period of four months, according to details published on Wednesday. Elections for members of the lower house and upper house — the People's Assembly and the Shoura Council — will be divided into three stages each, with a run-off for every stage. Voting kicks off for the People's Assembly on November 28 in nine constituencies (one third), with a run-off scheduled on December 5, the state-owned Al-Ahram reported quoting a senior official. The second round of voting also covers nine constituencies and begins on December 14, with a run-off on December 21, while the final round of voting starts on January 3 with a run-off a week later. The Shoura Council elections will be held in three rounds beginning on January 29 and ending on March 11, the paper said. The People's Assembly is scheduled to hold its first session on March 17 and the Shoura Council on March 24. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) which took power when Mubarak was ousted by a popular uprising in February had promised a six month transition period before handing power to civilian rule. Following the parliamentary and senate election, a committee will draft a new constitution to replace that of Mubarak and then presidential elections will be held. The committee has up to six months to finish its work, meaning the presidential election might not be held until the end of August.
