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CAIRO – Choosing their president freely for the first time, Egyptians arevoting on the second day of an election that will produce asuccessor to longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak. There were lines outside some polling centers on Thursday, but themorning turnout was generally weaker than the previous day's, whenvoters lined up outside polling centers before they opened. Thirteen candidates are contesting the election, includingIslamists, liberals and figures from Mubarak's ousted regime. Sincenone is likely to win outright in this first round on Wednesday andThursday, the top two finishers will enter a run-off June 16-17. Awinner will be announced June 21. The generals who took control after Mubarak have promised to handover power by July 1. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for furtherinformation. AP's earlier story is below. CAIRO (AP) — After a lifetime of being told who will rulethem, Egyptians dove enthusiastically into the uncertainty of theArab world's first competitive presidential race Wednesday,wrestling with a polarizing choice between secularists rooted inHosni Mubarak's old autocracy and Islamists hoping to infuse thestate with religion. Waiting in long lines, voters were palpably excited at the chanceto decide their country's path in the vote, the fruit of lastyear's stunning popular revolt that overthew Mubarak after 29 yearsin power. For the past 60 years, Egypt's presidents ranunchallenged in yes-or-no referendums that few bothered to vote in. Still, the choices raised worries among many about whether realdemocracy will emerge. The final result, likely to come after arunoff next month, will only open a new chapter of politicalstruggle. Mohammed Salah, 26, emerged grinning from a poll station, freshfrom casting his ballot. "Before, they used to take care of thatfor me," he said. "Today, I am choosing for myself." Medhat Ibrahim, 58, who suffers from cancer, had tears in his eyes."I might die in a matter of months, so I came for my children, sothey can live," he said, as he waited to vote in a poor Cairodistrict. "We want to live better, like human beings." He latercame out flashing a finger stained with the blue ink used toprevent multiple voting. "Mubarak's policies gave me cancer," hesaid, referring to the decline in health care under the lastregime. "Now I got my revenge." Adding to the drama, this election is up in the air. Thereliability of polls is uncertain, and four of the 13 candidateshave bounced around the top spots, leaving no clear front-runner.None is likely to win outright in Wednesday and Thursday'sballoting, so the top two vote-getters enter a run-off June 16-17,with the victor announced June 21. The two secular front-runners are both veterans of Mubarak's regime— former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq and former foreignminister Amr Moussa. The main Islamist contenders are Mohammed Morsi of the powerfulMuslim Brotherhood and Abdel-Moneim Abolfotoh, a moderate Islamistwhose inclusive platform has won him the support of some liberals,leftists and minority Christians. The debate went right up to the doorsteps of schools around thecountry where poll stations were set up. Some voters backed Mubarak-era veterans, believing they can bringstability after months of rising crime, a crumbling economy andbloody riots. Others were horrified by the thought, believing the"feloul" — or "remnants" of the regime — will keepEgypt locked in dictatorship and thwart democracy. Islamists, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood, saw their chance tolead a country where they were repressed for decades and toimplement their version of Islamic law. Their critics recoiled,fearing theocracy. Some saw an alternative to both in a leftist candidate, HamdeenSabahi, who has claimed the mantle of Egypt's first president, thepopulist Gamal Abdel-Nasser. An Islamist victory, particularly by Morsi, will likely mean agreater emphasis on religion in government. His Muslim Brotherhood,which already dominates parliament, says it won't mimic SaudiArabia and force women to wear veils or implement harsh punishmentslike amputations. But it says it does want to implement a moremoderate version of Islamic law, which liberals fear will meanlimitations on many rights. Many of the candidates have called for amendments to Egypt's 1979peace treaty with Israel, which remains deeply unpopular. None islikely to dump it, but a victory by any of the Islamist or leftistcandidates in the race could mean strained ties with Israel and astronger stance in support of the Palestinians in the peaceprocess. The candidates from the Mubarak regime — and, ironically, theBrotherhood, which has already held multiple talks with U.S.officials — are most likely to maintain the alliance with theUnited States. A looming question is whether either side will accept victory bythe other. Islamists have warned of new protests if Shafiq wins,which they say can only happen by fraud. Many are convinced theruling military wants a victory by Shafiq, a former air forcecommander. "Over my dead body will Shafiq or Moussa win. Why not just bringback Mubarak?" said Saleh Zeinhom, a merchant backing Abolfotoh."I'm certain we'll have a bloodbath after the elections because themilitary council won't hand power to anyone but Shafiq." Shafiq was met by several dozen protesters screaming "down with thefeloul" as he arrived to vote in an upscale neighborhood east ofCairo. Some protesters showed their contempt by holding up theirshoes in his direction. On his way out, some mobbed him, swingingtheir shoes at him as his security hustled him into his car. Shafiq, who was Mubarak's last prime minister until he too wasforced out of his post by protests, has been openly disparaging ofthe pro-democracy youth groups who led the anti-Mubarak uprising.Critics view him as too close to the generals who took over fromMubarak and whose own reputation is tainted by human rights abusesand authoritarian tendencies. But with his strongman image, he has appealed to Egyptians whocrave stability and fear Islamists. "The country is going under. We need a president that implementsjustice and brings back security. Bottom line," said Essamel-Khatib, a government employee voting in the Cairo suburb ofMaadi. Nearby another man, Sayed Attiya, shouted, "What Shafiq? We didn'thave a revolution to bring back Shafiq!" The Muslim Brotherhood, meanwhile, faced a backlash of its own. The group was the biggest winner in parliament elections late lastyear, winning nearly half the seats. But it disillusioned some byseeming too power hungry, demanding to be allowed to form agovernment and trying to dominate a panel created to draft a newconstitution. The panel was scrapped and the process of writing thevital new charter is on hold as politicians struggle over forming anew one. The image it has cultivated as an advocate of tolerance and pietywas damaged by its campaign to discredit Abolfotoh, who quit theBrotherhood to run for president, and its edict that it is a sin tovote for anyone not advocating implementation of Islamic Shariahlaw. At a polling station in the village of Ikhsas, outside Cairo, agroup of neighbors got into a friendly but frank debate. "I voted Brotherhood for parliament but I find they are inflexiblein their opinions and want to take everything. I can't now findthem in the country's top job," Bassem Saber, a 31-year-oldaccountant dressed in the traditional local robes, told the circleof men. He now backs Abolfotoh. Khaled el-Zeini, a Brotherhood backer, said people were beingunfair. Fares Kamel, a local trader, interjected with a shout against theBrothers, "We loved them and wanted them but we realized they areall about monopolizing power." But the group has a powerful electoral machine. In the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, Brotherhood vans ferriedwomen supporters to the polls in the poor neighborhood of AbuSuleiman, one of the group's strongholds. The women, in headscarvesor covered head to toe in black robes and veils that hid theirfaces, filed into the station. "I want to give the Brotherhood a chance to rule," said AidaIbrahim, a veteran Brotherhood member who was helping voters findtheir station. "If it doesn't work, they will be held accountable,"she said. Some Brotherhood supporters cited the group's years of providingcharity to the poor — including reduced-price meat, and freemedical care. "Whoever fills the tummy gets the vote," said Naima Badawi, ahousewife sitting on her doorstep watching voters in Abu Sir, oneof the many farming villages near the Pyramids being sucked intoCairo's urban sprawl. There were only a few reports of overt violations of election rulesWednesday, mainly concerning candidates' backers campaigning nearpolling stations. Three international monitoring organizations,including the U.S.'s Carter Center, were observing the vote. FormerPresident Jimmy Carter, the center's head, visited a pollingstation in the ancient Cairo district of Sayeda Aisha. The election's winner will face a monumental task. The economy hasbeen sliding as the key tourism industry dried up — though itis starting to inch back up. Crime has increased. Labor strikeshave proliferated. And the political turmoil is far from over. The generals who tookover from Mubarak have promised to hand authority to the electionwinner by the end of June. But many fear it will try to maintain aconsiderable amount of political say. The fundamentals of Mubarak'spolice state remain in place, including the powerful securityforces. "We will have an elected president, but the military is still hereand the old regime is not dismantled," said Ahmed Maher, aprominent activist from the group April 6, a key architect of lastyear's 18-day uprising against Mubarak. "The pressure will continue," he said. "People have finally wokenup. Whoever the next president is, we won't leave him alone." ___ Associated Press writers Sarah El Deeb, Maggie Michael and MattFord in Cairo and Aya Batrawy in Alexandria, Egypt, contributed tothis report. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Open Frame LCD Monitor Manufacturer , Rugged Notebook Computers, and more. For more , please visit Industrial LCD Displays today!
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