Egypt's parliamentary vote starts Nov 28

Egypt's parliamentary election will start on Nov. 28, a military source said on Tuesday, launching the process of handing back power to civilian rule nine months after President Hosni Mubarak was ousted in a popular uprising.      

The source, who declined to be identified, said the military council has issued a decree inviting candidates to start registration for the elections for the upper and lower houses of parliament starting on Oct. 12.      

Egypt's Freedom and Justice Party, the political wing of Egypt's biggest Islamist group the Muslim Brotherhood, welcomed the move, which state news agency MENA said was approved by the ruling military council. But the party said it was unhappy about the election procedures which provide for some seats to be contested by party lists and others by individuals.           

Egypt's political parties have been pressing the military council, which took over after Mubarak was ousted in February, to speed up the transfer of power to civilian rule.           Political parties have been pressuring the army council to base the vote exclusively on the party-based proportional list system, saying allowing individuals to seek election would enable remnants of the ousted regime to use money and tribalism to enter parliament.    

-Reuters