Egyptians vote on 2nd day of presidential poll

PanARMENIAN.Net - Egyptians, choosing their leader freely for the first time in history, voted for a second day on Thursday, May 24 in an election that is a fruit of last year's popular revolt against Hosni Mubarak, Reuters reported.

After six decades under authoritarian, military-backed rule, Egypt's 50 million voters can decide whether to entrust the most populous Arab nation to an Islamist president for the next four years, as well as the Islamist-led assembly they chose earlier.

But secular candidates like ex-Arab League chief Amr Moussa and Mubarak's last premier Ahmed Shafiq are in with a chance.

Some voters voice disappointment with the performance of parliament, where the Muslim Brotherhood's party has the biggest bloc. The assembly has been unable to assert itself over the government appointed by the generals who took over from Mubarak.

Alarmed by rising crime, disorder and a failing economy, some Egyptians favor a man with government or military experience, even if he harks back to the Mubarak era.

Queues built up outside some polling stations in the baking sun, with many voters determined not to miss their chance to influence the first round. The government declared Thursday a public holiday to allow state employees to cast their vote.

If no one wins more than half the votes needed for outright victory, the top two will contest a run-off on June 16 and 17. First-round results may be clear by Saturday, but an official announcement is not due until Tuesday.

Voting passed off calmly on Wednesday, apart from a stone-throwing attack on Shafiq, 70, a former air force chief.

Other leading candidates are the Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi, 60, independent Islamist Abdel Moneim Abol Fotouh, 60, Moussa, 75, who also served as Mubarak's foreign minister in the 1990s, and leftist Hamdeen Sabahy, 57.