Egypt extends parliamentary candidacy application period

Egypt's High Elections Commission ( HEC) decided to extend the period for parliamentary candidacy application to Oct. 22 from an initially deadline of Oct. 18 to give more time to players. Some 2,908 people have submitted their applications for the parliamentary elections, official MENA news agency quoted HEC chief Abdel Ibrahim as saying on Sunday. The applicants included 2,721 for the People's Assembly, the lower house of the Egyptian parliament, and 187 for the Shura Council, the upper house, it said. The application period began on Oct. 12 and has experienced a relatively low turnout from parties. Some parties demanded the ruling military extend the application period to give more time for organization. Several parties have withdrawn from the Muslim Brotherhood-led bloc. The first parliamentary elections after the fall of ex- President Hosni Mubarak is due to start Nov. 28.