Egypt votes on second day of presidential poll

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.

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.

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.

“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.

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.

Two of the candidates are expected to go into June run-offs after the May 23 and 24 vote.