First Post-Revolution Presidential Poll Begins

Voting in the first round of the post-Mubarak election ends on Thursday.

Polling stations opened across Egypt yesterday May 23 on day one of voting in the first presidential election since a popular uprising in 2011 toppled President Hosni Mubarak. The election brings to an end a tumultuous transition period under a military council.

The Agence France Presse, AFP news agency reported before the polls opened at 8:00 a.m. local time, queues had already begun to form outside voting stations where the police and soldiers were stationed to secure the process. More than 50 million eligible voters are taking part in two days of voting in a contest that pits Islamists against secularists and revolutionaries against members of Mubarak's regime. The election is taking place in 13,000 polling stations.

According to ABC News, 12 candidates are vying for the nation's top job with the front runners being the former Foreign Minister and Arab League Chief, Amr Mussa; Ahmed Shafiq, the last Premier to serve under Mubarak; the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Mursi; independent Islamist, Abdel Moneim Abul Fotouh and Nasserist candidate, Hamdeen Sabbahi.

None of the candidates is expected to win in the first round and a run-off between the top two contenders is likely in June. It is the first time ordinary Egyptians who have been ruled over the centuries by pharaohs, sultans, kings and military officers, have a genuine chance to choose their leader. Ahmed Ali, a student of pharmaceutical studies in Alexandria, Egypt's second city, told journalists that it was his first time of voting for a president, saying the experience had made him feel like a true citizen.

Voters were entertained by three weeks of official campaigning that ended on Sunday May 20 with Egypt's first ever US-style televised presidential debate. Newspapers carried interviews and campaign adverts, while banners and posters festooned the streets. A day before the beginning of polling, the capital, Cairo was bustling with talk of the election.

Observers say whoever wins faces a huge task to deliver changes that Egyptians expect. Former President Hosni Mubarak who was in power for three decades, resigned on 11 February 2011 after 18 days of protests in Cairo and other cities. He is on trial for his alleged role in the deaths of protesters, and a verdict in the case is due on June 2.