<p>Egyptians swarmed polling stations on the second day on Thursday of a gripping presidential election in which candidates are pitting stability against the ideals of the uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak’s rule.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Long queues formed outside the voting centres after they opened at 8 am, with authorities declaring Thursday a public holiday to allow public sector employees to cast their ballots.<br /><br />At a school in the upmarket Cairo neighbourhood of Heliopolis, with the dome of Mubarak’s former presidential palace visible a few hundred metres away, hundreds of women braved the heat to stand in line to vote.<br /><br />“I’m very happy because we’ll be choosing our president. I came to vote last night but it was too crowded, so I’m back,” said Dina al-Badri, 26.<br /><br />Around 50 million eligible voters are choosing among 12 candidates, with the front runners divided between Islamists who say they will champion the uprising’s goals and Mubarak-era ministers.<br /><br />Two of the candidates are expected to go into June run-offs after the May 23 and 24 vote.</p>
<p>Egyptians swarmed polling stations on the second day on Thursday of a gripping presidential election in which candidates are pitting stability against the ideals of the uprising that ended Hosni Mubarak’s rule.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Long queues formed outside the voting centres after they opened at 8 am, with authorities declaring Thursday a public holiday to allow public sector employees to cast their ballots.<br /><br />At a school in the upmarket Cairo neighbourhood of Heliopolis, with the dome of Mubarak’s former presidential palace visible a few hundred metres away, hundreds of women braved the heat to stand in line to vote.<br /><br />“I’m very happy because we’ll be choosing our president. I came to vote last night but it was too crowded, so I’m back,” said Dina al-Badri, 26.<br /><br />Around 50 million eligible voters are choosing among 12 candidates, with the front runners divided between Islamists who say they will champion the uprising’s goals and Mubarak-era ministers.<br /><br />Two of the candidates are expected to go into June run-offs after the May 23 and 24 vote.</p>