Counting begins in Egyptian elections

Counting has begun in Egypt’s first presidential elections since the fall of former leader Hosni Mubarak.

After six decades under military-backed rule, 50 million eligible voters voted Wednesday and Thursday on whether to entrust the nation to an Islamist president for the next four years, alongside the Islamist-led parliament they elected earlier this year.

But secular figures such as ex-Arab League chief Amr Moussa, 75, and Mubarak's last premier Ahmed Shafiq, 70, are in with a chance, appealing to Egyptians wary of radical change.

If no one wins more than half the votes needed for outright victory in Wednesday and Thursday's first round, the top two candidates will contest a June 16 and 17 run-off.

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