The Supreme Electoral Commission (SEC) will start receiving applications for media coverage of parliamentary elections starting Wednesday until 1 February, according to state-run media Al-Ahram. Print, audio and visual media will be allowed to cover the elections scheduled to start on 21 March until the beginning of May for the second round. Journalists and reporters are also required to register themselves individually on SEC's official website from 24 February and 31 March. SEC is closing doors Tuesday on registration for NGOs to apply for electoral observation. Political parties are yet to say their final words on electoral coalitions ahead of the elections. Al-Wafd Party has recently held a meeting in which 19 political parties participated and agreed to ally in one list of candidates to represent them in the elections. On the other hand, former prime minister Kamal El-Ganzoury also plans to run for the elections and is forming a list of candidates of his own. As for the Islamists, Salafist Al-Nour Party has announced it will run for parliamentary elections but was not invited to Al-Wafd's coalition, as some political parties rejected Al-Nour on claims that it was a ‘religious political party', which violates the constitution. 540 parliamentary seats will be determined by direct voting, and 25 members are to be appointed by the president. Of the elected seats, 120 will be filled by candidates on party lists, while 420 by individual candidates.
