CAIRO - An Egyptian commission, tasked with preparing for the country's forthcoming parliamentary elections, said Wednesday it would start receiving applications from potential contenders on October 12, state television reported online. The registration for the elections, the first since former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was unseated in February, is to end on October 18, according to the report. The electoral commission said Wednesday the polls would be held in three stages, with the first to start on November 28 in nine of Egypt's 27 governorates. On Tuesday, the Egyptian government, upon suggestion from the military rulers, drafted an amended law allowing political parties to also contest parliament's seats previously allocated for independents. The military rulers are still to approve the law. The Egyptian opposition is pushing the military rulers to bar members of Mubarak's now-disbanded party from running for parliament and practising politics for at least five years. Meanwhile, the head of Egypt's ruling military council, Hussein Tantawi, Wednesday denied media reports that a military candidate would run for the country's presidency, state television reported. "These are rumours, which should not be taken seriously. We should not waste time on discussing rumours," Tantawi said in Cairo. Although no exact date has been set for the presidential elections, more than 30 people have already said they will run for the country's top job. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has been in control of Egypt since former president Hosny Mubarak was forced to step down in February.
