Mohamed Morsi calls Egypt’s parliamentary elections

Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi has called parliamentary elections, starting on April 27 and end in June.

A presidential decree said voting would take place in four regional stages, due to a shortage of election supervisors.

Mohamed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood movement hope the election will put an end to increasingly vocal opposition and street protests, analysts say.

The Islamist-dominated parliament was dissolved last June after judges ruled election laws were unconstitutional.

In the last elections, in January 2012, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice party won roughly 40% of the vote.

Egypt is deeply divided between Mohamed Morsi’s Islamist supporters and a liberal-led opposition, and has been wracked by unrest, insecurity and an economic crisis.

Tensions have intensified since an Islamist-backed constitution – criticized for failing to protect key rights – was adopted in December.

Thursday’s decree states voting will take place in:

1. Cairo and four other provinces on April 27-28, with a run-off scheduled for May 4-5
2. Giza, Alexandria and six other provinces on May 15-16, with a run-off scheduled for May 22-23
3. Eight provinces on June 2-3, with a run-off scheduled for June 9-10
4. Six provinces on June 19-20, with a run-off on June 26-27

The new People’s Assembly will be invited to convene on July 6, the decree said.