Egypt's Parliamentary Polls By Year's End: Sisi

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said Sunday that parliamentary elections would be held before the end of the year to conclude the military-backed transitional roadmap adopted following the ouster of president Mohamed Morsi.



"Preparations are underway to complete the last step of the roadmap represented by the parliamentary elections by the end of the year," al-Sisi was "ed as telling visiting Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel García-Margallo y Marfil, according to presidential spokesman Ihab Badawi.



The Spanish minister, for his part, described Egypt as the cornerstone of the Middle East.



"Egypt's security and stability would reflect positively on the entire region, and contributes to regional stability," Badawi "ed him as saying.



Al-Sisi, widely seen as the architect of Morsi's ouster and subsequent imprisonment one year ago, was declared the winner of Egypt's presidential election in May – the second phase of the roadmap.



Egypt completed the first phase of the transitional roadmap in January by holding a referendum on an amended version of the constitution.



By Ahmed al-Sersawi



englishnews@aa.com.tr



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