An Egyptian soldier guards as Egyptians wait to cast their votes during parliamentary elections, outside a polling station in Cairo November 28, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

CAIRO - Egyptians went to the polls in the first phase of the People's Assembly, the lower house of the parliament, on Monday, the first since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak in February.

The voting started at 8:00 am (0600GMT) in Cairo, Alexandria, Fayoum, Port Said, Damietta, Kafr El-Sheikh, Assiut, Luxor and the Red Sea, nine out of the 27 governorates in Egypt.

Voters lined up outside poll stations in Cairo in a peaceful manner. The vote will last two days in order to achieve a high turnout.

Hussein Tantawi, head of the ruling military council, Sunday called on citizens to cast votes.

The 508-seat People's Assembly polls are held over three stages, each with a run-off one week after the vote. The second stage starts on Dec 14 and the third stage on January 3. The final results are expected to be announced by Jan 13.