Egypt signals March parliament election

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has told visiting US businessmen that a parliamentary election will be held by March and not be put off indefinitely.

Egypt has been without a parliament since June 2012, when a court dissolved the democratically elected main chamber, reversing a major accomplishment of the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak.

Under Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, legislative power was transferred to the upper house pending a fresh election.

But before that poll took place, Mr Morsi was toppled by the army following protests against his rule.

A political road map declared after Morsi's ouster envisaged a parliamentary election by November - six months after the May presidential poll which brought General Sisi, the army chief behind Morsi's overthrow, to the presidency.

NEWS24