Egypt's first parliamentary election since the fall of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi began on Saturday, with nearly seven lakh expats set to vote at diplomatic missions in nearly 130 countries.
This election is also the first to elect the largest number of members in Egypt's parliament since its inception.
The new constitution that was brought into effect in January 2014 put in place the House of Representatives, which will comprise 596 members of Parliament (MPs), the highest in Egypt's history.
Of the 596 seats, 448 have been reserved for independents while 120 will be chosen from party-based lists.
According to reports, a coalition of parties loyal to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is likely to win most of the seats. In addition to this, 28 members in the House of Representatives will be appointed by al-Sisi.
On Saturday, polling began for Egyptians living abroad at embassies in Saudi Arabia, China, New Zealand, and Australia.
In Egypt, voters will vote in two stages starting Sunday.
The election is the last cog in Egypt's wheel to democracy, the first two being the adoption of the new constitution and the election of former army chief Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi as president last year.
But as Egypt attempts to become more politically stable after years of turmoil, it has been hit by a spate of terror attacks, with even the deadly Isis claiming to have a foothold in the country's North Sinai region.
