Voting for Egypt's presidential election kicks off

CAIRO - Voting for Egypt's presidential election began at 9:00 am local time (0700 GMT) on Sunday in Egypt, with four candidates contesting, including incumbent President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.

Voting spans from Dec 10 to Dec 12, with each day allowing 12 hours to cast ballots. Overseas Egyptian voters had previously cast their ballots from Dec 1 to Dec 3.

About 67 million Egyptians are eligible to vote at more than 9,000 polling stations nationwide.

Sisi, who is running for a third term, was elected president in 2014 and reelected in 2018 for a second term, both with an overwhelming majority.

The other three contestants are the Social Democratic Party's Farid Zahran; the Egyptian Al-Wafd Party's Abdel Sanad Yamama; and Hazem Omar, the People's Republican Party candidate.

The final result is scheduled to be announced on Dec 18, if no run-off is required.