Egyptian expats favour Brotherhood

Dubai: Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammad Mursi was leading in expatriate voting as campaigning for Egypt's landmark presidential election ended yesterday.

A tally announced by Egyptian missions in 33 countries put Mursi far ahead with 106,252 votes, with Islamist Abdul Moneim Abu Al Fotouh following with 77,499. Pan-Arab Nasserist Hamdeen Sabahi came third with 44,727 votes, while secularist Amr Mousa was in fourth place, followed by Ahmad Shafiq, the last premier to serve under Hosni Mubarak.

Tomorrow's elections will be an unprecedented exercise in democracy made possible by the 2011 uprising that ousted Mubarak.

According to the rules laid down by the Supreme Presidential Election Commission, the dozen candidates cannot give any media interviews or make public appearances until polling ends on Thursday.

A run-off is scheduled for June 16-17 should none of the candidates win a simple majority in the first round.

Parliamentary speaker Sa'ad Al Katatni declared that "Egypt is witnessing an unprecedented experience," in a meeting with former US president Jimmy Carter in Cairo, the official MENA news agency reported.