Egypt's High Elections Commission decided on Saturday to extend the deadline for candidacy applications for the upcoming parliamentary elections to 22 October.
In a statement, the commission said it took the move "in support of the democratic transition and to provide more chances for all applicants to positively take part in the process."
A number of party leaders and political groups had requested the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) extend the deadline in order to get more time to prepare their nominee lists.
Since authorities started receiving applications on Wednesday, application centers have been seeing a high turnout of applicants affiliated with the previously-ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) who have joined other political parties or established new ones.
State-run newspapers Al-Ahram and Rose al-Youssef gave broad coverage of NDP applications, warning of divisions among opposition parties.
The Democratic Alliance, a coalition of 24 political parties led by the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, has been affected by the withdrawal of a number of its member parties, which has hurt the alliance in light of the approaching deadline for candidacy applications.
