A member of Egypt's ruling military council is reported to have said Wednesday that it will not allow international observers to monitor the country's first post-revolutionary election.

The Associated Press quotes General Mamdouh Shaheen as saying that barring foreign monitors is necessary to protect Egypt's sovereignty, adding that “we have nothing to hide.”

But an Egyptian rights activist, Hafez Abou Saada, was quoted as saying the military's promises of a free and fair election are not enough and that the decision raises questions about the poll's transparency.

General Shaheen told reporters in Cairo that the parliamentary vote will be held before the end of the year and that the military would set an exact date after September 18. He said the upcoming election would take place in three stages and that 15-day periods would separate each round.

The general said the staggered vote would ensure judges are able to thoroughly monitor the polling. In a notable change from elections held under ousted President Hosni Mubarak, he said the judiciary would oversee the process, not the Interior Ministry, which many Egyptians say often fixed the vote to help the ruling party. He said the army would only provide security.

General Shaheen added that one half of parliament's 504 elected seats will be contested through party lists and the other by individual candidates.

The legislative election, originally due in September, was postponed earlier this month in an attempt to appease pro-democracy protesters who say an early vote would benefit Egypt's resurgent Islamist party, the Muslim Brotherhood.

Some activists have argued that the newer and smaller liberal and secular parties need more time to organize. But others want to push ahead with elections to have the military council, which they see as an extension of the previous government, out of power as soon as possible.

In another development, Egypt's official MENA news agency, quoting what it called a “reliable military source,” said the new members of Prime Minister Essam Sharaf's government would be sworn in on Thursday.

Al-Arabiya television said the ceremony would be held in front of Field Marshall Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, head of the ruling military council.

The swearing in was postponed when Mr. Sharaf was hospitalized with low blood pressure on Monday as he attempted to carve out a Cabinet that has been held up by a lack of agreement over several key positions.