Egypt's High Elections Commission will form six subcommittees as part of its preparations for oversight of the parliamentary elections slated for November.
The commission will manage the elections for both parliamentary houses, the People's Assembly and the Shura Council, which are to be held simultaneously.
In a statement on Sunday, the commission's chairman, Abdel Moez Ibrahim, said the subcommittees have been tasked with the preparations required for the entire process, in order to achieve the commission's mission more quickly.
The commission's board comprises 16 members, six of whom will preside over the subcommittees, while some of the remaining 10 officials will be members. He stressed that the commission seeks transparent elections under complete judicial supervision, with the results expressing voters' will.
The first subcommittee will establish balloting and vote-counting stations at different governorates.
The second will revise voters' lists, with names and ID numbers.
The third will manage candidates' campaign logos.
The fourth will investigate and address elections-related complaints.
The fifth will organize the participation of civil society groups and international organizations seeking to observe the electoral process.
Finally, the sixth subcommittee will lay down rules regulating electoral propaganda, based on the law.
Late July, Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces approved controversial amendments to the law on parliamentary elections. The amended legislation allows both the list-based and single-winner candidacy systems to be adopted. Several observers and political groups voiced discontent with the changes.
Parliamentary elections under the Mubarak regime were usually marred by forgery and vote fixing in favor of the formerly-ruling National Democratic Party. The former regime's rejection of foreign electoral oversight has survived in the current law.
