Moderate Islamist leads in Egyptian expats' votes

Cairo: A moderate Islamist, vying with 12 others for Egypt's presidency, has taken the lead in votes cast by expatriates in Britain and Germany, reported state Middle East News Agency (mena).

Abdul Moneim Abu Al Fotouh, a dissident from the powerful Muslim Brotherhood, collected 647 out of total valid 1,644 votes cast by the Egyptians in Germany, according to the agency. He was followed by Hamdeen Sabahi, a nationalist rival with 476, and the Brotherhood's candidate Mohammad Morsi with 199.

Abu Al Fotouh, a 60-year-old physician, also came first in the ballots cast in Britain with 1,300, followed by Sabahi with 926, and Amr Moussa, a former chief of the Arab League with 907, reported mena.

Likewise Abu Al Fotouh has led in the votes counted in Russia, followed by Sabahi, Morsi and Mousa, according to the agency.

However, Mousa outrivaled Abu Al Fotouh in the Egyptians' votes in Lebanon with 32.6 per cent support against 21.1 per cent for the latter, mena quoted embassy officials as saying.

These results and those from other countries have yet to be officially announced by the Cairo-based presidential election commission.

Eligible voters among Egyptians living abroad are estimated at 586,000, according to official figures. They were given a week starting from May 11 to cast their ballots at Egypt's diplomatic missions for the first time ever in the presidential election.

Egyptians at home are to go to polls on May 23-24 to elect their first president since a popular revolt toppled long-standing president Hosni Mubarak in February last year.

The frontrunners are Abu Al Fotouh, Mousa, Morsi, Sabahi and Ahmed Shafiq, Mubarak's last premier, according to recent opinion polls conducted by local media.

Al Azhar, Egypt's influential Sunni seat of learning, on Friday urged Egyptians to vote in next week's polls, calling this a religious and national duty.

Egypt's military ruler Field Marshal Hussain Tantawi this week pledged to hold fair and free presidential election.