Polls opened in Egypt on Saturday for parliamentary elections that will stretch over several weeks and are set to be dominated by supporters of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
A first round of voting will end on Sunday, with a second round on Nov. 7-8. Run-offs will take place in late November and early December.
The polls are being held under a new electoral law under which 50% of 568 contested seats will be allocated to pre-selected lists, a system critics say benefits Sisi's backers.
The remaining contested seats will be allocated to individual candidates, and Sisi can appoint up to 28 legislators directly.
Mostaqbal Watn (Nation's Future), which in August won nearly three-quarters of the contested seats in an election for Egypt's Senate, an advisory body, is the favourite to come out top.
Sisi has overseen a sweeping crackdown on political dissent since leading the ouster in 2013 of the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi, who was freely elected in 2012 before mass protests engulfed his rule.
Supporters say the measures have been necessary to stabilise the country and carry out economic reforms that have won praise from many economists and international financial institutions.
Congo says confirmed Ebola cases rise to 1,048, including 267 deaths
13 killed in explosion at Qatar's Ras Laffan LNG site
UK's Starmer resigns, paving way for orderly transfer of power
Israel says military will maintain security zone in southern Lebanon
Fire at coaching centre in India's Lucknow kills at least 15
