Egyptians headed to the polls on Sunday for a presidential election in which Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is poised to win a third term in power.
Voting, which runs from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. (0700-1900 GMT), is spread over three days, with results due to be announced on Dec. 18.
As voting began on Sunday morning, small crowds gathered at polling stations in Cairo, where pictures of Sisi have proliferated in the weeks leading up to the election. Riot police were deployed at entrances to Tahrir Square in the center of the capital.
Three candidates are qualified to stand against Sisi in the election. Farid Zahran, leader of the left-leaning Egyptian Social Democratic Party; Abdel-Sanad Yamama, from the Wafd, a century-old but relatively marginal party; and Hazem Omar, from the Republican People's Party.
Approximately 67 million Egyptians are eligible to vote, according to the election authority, out of a total population of 104 million.
Egyptians Head to the Polls
An election banner for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi in Cairo (EPA)
Egyptians Head to the Polls
An election banner for Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi in Cairo (EPA)
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