First post-Mubarak elections to begin in Egypt on November 28

The country's first elections for parliament's two chambers since President Hosni Mubarak's departure will begin at the end of November and will be staggered over several months.

CAIRO // Egypt's ruling military decreed yesterday that the country's first parliamentary elections since Hosni Mubarak's departure will begin on November 28.

The elections for parliament's two chambers will be staggered over several months, with the vote for the People's Assembly starting on November 28 and the less powerful Shura Council, the chamber's upper house, on January 29.

The announcement by the ruling military council, which took over from Mr Mubarak in February, was carried on the state news agency and television.

The last parliamentary election under Mr Mubarak was held in November and December last year, when the ousted leader's now-dissolved ruling party swept the vote, winning all but a handful of seats in the People's Assembly.

The announcement came at a time of tension between the military council and pro-reform protesters over the generals' handling of the transition to democratic rule. The military rulers, in turn, claim some of the youth groups behind the uprising received training abroad and unauthorised foreign funding. The protesters and many politicians say the military has not acted swiftly enough to dismantle Mr Mubarak's legacy.