CAIRO — After fierce competition among 418 candidates on individual seats, the runoff of Egypt’s parliamentary elections determined the results of the first phase in which the candidates of political parties won the largest proportions of individual seats.

The runoff of the first phase of the parliamentary elections held Oct. 27-28 covered 14 governorates, where 418 candidates competed for 209 seats. Only four candidates managed to clinch an individual seat in the first round, while the runoff elections in four constituencies will start over after being canceled by court orders. These constituencies are al-Raml First and al-Raml Second in Alexandria, al-Wasta, Bandar Beni Suef and Beni Suef precinct and Damanhour district and precinct in Behira.

Electoral observers and Egypt’s Cabinet operations room noted that the elections runoff was overshadowed by political money and vote-buying at prices ranging from 50 Egyptian pounds ($7) to 700 Egyptian pounds ($87) per vote. These prices were offered by the agents of some candidates to push voters to head to the polls and vote in favor of their candidate.

Tarek Zaghloul, the executive manager at the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights, involved in monitoring elections, told Al-Monitor, “Widespread phenomena of vote-buying and directing voters were the most noted infringements and violations that occurred during the two-day runoff.”