Egyptians are heading for the ballot boxes to participate in the second stage of controversial legislative elections on Monday.
Sixteen seats are up for grabs in the upper house of parliament, known as the Shoura Council.
A supporter of an independent candidate was killed and dozens of Muslim Brotherhood members were arrested in the first round of the elections last Monday, in which the fate of 71 of the 88 contested seats was decided.
Seventeen seats were supposed to be contested in the second phase but one candidate automatically got a seat after his only rival dropped out of the race.
The outlawed Muslim Brotherhood fielded candidates as independents in the first round but failed to win any seats in the advisory council.
The ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) won the majority of the seats in the first round.
The Muslim Brotherhood, the largest opposition group in Egypt, accused the NDP of election rigging.
Observers said polling stations were illegally closed on election day and that government-controlled security forces barred potential Brotherhood voters from reaching the ballot boxes.
The NDP sees the powerful Muslim Brotherhood as a threat since it enjoys huge popularity.
The Shoura Council is an advisory body with limited legislative powers.
The advisory council has 264 seats – 176 are elected by popular vote and the remaining seatholders are appointed by the president. These two-stage elections are determining the fate of half of the 176 elected seats.