Egypt's ruling party submitted to the Cabinet yesterday a final draft of an election law regulating the country's first contested presidential election in September, the speaker of parliament said. Fathi Srour, speaker of the People's Assembly, Egypt's lower house of parliament, said that the bill submitted by the National Democratic Party (NDP), stipulates terms of reference for a higher ad hoc committee to supervise the election and sets rules for candidates' campaigns before the poll. "The bill states that the presidential election committee composed by high profile judges and public figures will be treated as a public legal entity, which will have its own budget and will be fully independent," said Srour. "The 10-member committee will be responsible for examining candidates' applications and will announce the results in the national papers," he told Arab News.