The first day of a parliamentary election in Egypt saw 15-16 percent of voters in the country turn out to cast ballots

The first day of a parliamentary election in Egypt saw 15-16 percent of voters in the country turn out to cast ballots, Prime Minister Sharif Ismail said Monday.

Voting for the much-delayed 596-member parliament is being staged in two phases ending December 2, with the first round of polling across 14 of Egypt's 27 provinces beginning on Sunday.

"The turnout on the first day was between 15 and 16 percent," Ismail said, quoted by state news agency MENA.

Sunday's turnout was sharply lower than the 62 percent registered in the first stage of the previous parliamentary election in 2011.

That election had been held over three stages, and in the first round there was voting in nine of the 27 provinces.

That parliament was dissolved in June 2012, just days before Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammad Mursi was elected as president, the country's first freely elected leader.