Egypt September polls delayed: state media

Egyptian parliamentary elections that were scheduled for September have been delayed until October or November, a military official told the MENA state news agency on Wednesday.

"It has been decided to hold elections for the People's Assembly and the Shura Council next October or November," MENA quoted the official as saying, in reference to the lower and upper houses of parliament.

The official said the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces -- which took power when president Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February -- "is committed to its previous announcement that the electoral process would start six months from the constitutional declaration" of March.

"This means that the electoral process for the People's Assembly and the Shura Council would start before the end of September," the official said.

The process -- including presentation of candidacy, campaigning, fixing voter registration lists and defining constituencies -- would "take no less than 30 days and up to 50 or 60 days which is why elections would be held in October or November," he said.

Previously, the military council had clearly set out its timetable stating parliamentary elections would be held in September, followed by the drafting of a constitution and that a date would then be set for presidential elections.

On March 28, General Mamduh Shahin, a member of the council, told reporters that "the legislative elections will be held in September."

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