Ankara: Egypt on Monday launched the first phase of its parliamentary elections to choose members of the House of Representatives, according to local media.

According to Anadolu Agency, the state-run Al-Qahera News channel reported that nearly 63 million eligible voters are set to cast their ballots to elect 568 members of the House of Representatives in two phases. The first phase is taking place over two days across 14 provinces: Alexandria, Assiut, Aswan, Beheira, Beni Suef, Fayoum, Giza, Luxor, Matrouh, Minya, New Valley, Qena, Red Sea, and Sohag, spanning 5,606 subcommittees in 70 electoral districts.

A total of 1,287 candidates are contesting in the elections, with 1,143 independents running under the individual system and 142 through the party list system. Egypt's 596-seat House of Representatives includes 568 elected members, split equally between the closed-list system and the individual system, along with 28 members appointed directly by a presidential decree.

The results of the first phase are set to be announced on Nov. 18. The Interior Ministry has confirmed that a comprehensive security plan has been implemented to ensure the safety of polling stations. Expat voting occurred on Nov. 7-8 in Egyptian embassies and consulates in 117 countries, as reported by the government media center.

Phase two of the elections is scheduled for Nov. 21-22 for expatriates and Nov. 24-25 for citizens in the remaining 13 provinces, with results expected on Dec. 2. These elections follow the recent Senate elections, with the House of Representatives playing a crucial role in Egypt's political framework by exercising legislative and oversight powers in line with the constitution.