Polls for the first round of Egypt’s parliamentary elections open on 18 October. A second round will take place in November, and results are expected in December.

Egyptians will elect 596 members of the House of Representatives. Of that number, 448 seats are reserved for independents and 120 for party lists. President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi will appoint the remaining 28 members. 

The country has been without a parliament since 2012, when it was dissolved by a court ruling.

Elections were due to take place in March, but were delayed after a court ruled part of an election law was unconstitutional.

Since taking office in 2014, Al-Sisi has fast-tracked several laws surrounding investment and security.

More recently, the president was criticised for the newly ratified anti-terrorism law. The law stipulates heavy fines and possible suspension from employment for “false” reporting on attacks in Egypt.

The new parliament is not expected to effectively challenge Al-Sisi’s decisions.

Egypt continues to target foreign investment in order to galvanise its economy, but an ailing security situation has made it difficult for Cairo to deliver a stable investment environment.

The country has seen a wave of arrests in the run-up to the elections and turnout is expected to be low, with a heavy presence from the security forces.

The cabinet resigned in September over corruption allegations, but many key ministers were reinstated. A new cabinet will be formed following the elections.