The High Elections Commission has extended the application period for the parliamentary and Shura Council elections until Monday in response to the demands of political parties, Abdel Moez Ibrahim, head of the commission, told MENA on Saturday.
Sixteen newly formed political parties had submitted a memorandum to Egypt's military rulers on Friday evening to demand extending the period to apply for candidacy for an extra week.
The parties also demanded that the parliamentary elections be postponed for two weeks, and that political isolation legislation, which would ban former National Democratic Party (NDP) members from politics, not be issued.
Zahran added that young political parties have found it difficult to arrange lists and need more time.
The memorandum also included a request to allow unified lists to bear the name of a coalition or alliance, rather than the name of one of the political parties putting forward candidates on that list.
Meanwhile, Ibrahim announced that the number of applicants for the parliamentary elections has reached 4263 for the single-winner seats and 73 lists on the list-based system; and applicants for the Shura Council elections has reached 811 for the single-winner seats and 26 lists on the list system.