Egyptian voters began casting their ballots on Monday in the first phase of the country’s parliamentary elections, taking place over two days across 14 governorates.

Polling stations opened at 9:00 a.m. local time (07:00 GMT) and will close at 9:00 p.m. (19:00 GMT). Approximately 35 million voters are eligible to participate in this initial phase.

The elections are being held in two phases: the first phase covers voters from 14 governorates both inside and outside Egypt, while the second phase will include 13 governorates. Voting for Egyptians living abroad took place on November 7-8, while domestic voting is scheduled for November 10-11. Election results are expected to be announced on November 18.