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A man shows his finger after casting a vote at a polling station during a parliamentary election in Cairo November 28, 2011. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
CAIRO, Oct 4 (Aswat Masriya) - Acts of vandalism or attempts to disturb citizen's peace during the parliamentary elections will be tackled "decisively" if necessary to implement the law while respecting human rights, a top police official said on Sunday.
Assistant Interior Minister Abu Bakr Abdelkarim told state news agency MENA that there is a "meticulous" plan to secure the elections and that it will be carried out in cooperation with the army.
Egyptians will elect members of the House of Representatives in two phases.
Voting in the first phase at home and abroad will run from Oct. 17-19 and will include 14 governorates: Giza, Fayoum, Beni Suef, Minya, Assiut, New Valley, Sohag, Qena, Luxor, Aswan, Red Sea, Alexandria, Beheira and Matrouh.
The second phase, which will run from Nov. 21-23, includes Cairo, Qalyubia, Daqahliyah, Menoufia, Gharbia, Kafr el-Sheikh, Sharqiya, Damietta, Port Said, Ismailia, Suez, North Sinai and South Sinai.
Abdelkarim said all preparations have been made in polling stations to ensure the elections go smoothly.
He said the interior minister has instructed personnel to be "objective", and refrain from interfering in the course of the election. He added that policemen will not enter polling stations, unless requested to do so by the election commission.
?Egyptian voters will elect 448 independent representatives and 120 based on party-lists. The president may appoint up to 28 members, which adds up to a total of 596 seats.