Cairo: Egyptians go to polls on Wednesday to vote in the second round of the parliamentary elections, which is expected to be dominated by Islamists.
Around 3,779 candidates are vying for 180 seats at stake in the second round of the vote that runs for two days, according to an independent commission in charge of the elections.
The contestants include 328 women against 376 in the first round, said the commission.
The influential Muslim Brotherhood and the newly formed Salafist Al Nour gained around 45 per cent and 20 per cent respectively of the seats in the first round held on November 28. The liberal Egyptian Bloc trailed third with 9.3 per cent.
The new round of the three-round elections, Egypt's first since long-standing president Hosni Mubarak's toppling in February, is to be held in nine governorates, some of them are Islamists' heartland mainly in the Nile Delta.
On the eve of the second round, Field Marshal Hussain Tantawi, Egypt's military ruler reviewed measures to secure the balloting with the new Prime Minister Kamal Ganzouri, reported state television.
The current elections are based on a mixed system of party lists and individual candidacy.
The final round of the vote is set for January 3 with final results to be announced 10 days later.
Two thirds of the 498-seat parliament will be allocated for parties, while the other third for individual contenders.
