Egypt Press Applauds 'Free' Landmark Election

Egypt's press on Thursday hailed the country's first presidential election since a popular uprising ousted president Hosni Mubarak as "free and historic," despite the looming uncertainty.

"We have achieved a dream," read the headline on the state-owned al-Akhbar newspaper.

"On May 23, 2012, Egyptians went to the polls to choose their leader for the first time in their history, freely and without fraud," said the daily.

Photos of smiling voters waiting in line to cast their ballots were plastered on the front pages of most newspapers.

The election which sees 12 candidates vying to succeed Mubarak is in its second day, with results expected on Sunday.

Among the contenders is former foreign minister and Arab League chief Amr Moussa, who is seen as an experienced politician and diplomat. But like Ahmed Shafiq, Mubarak's last prime minister; he is accused of ties with the old regime.

The powerful Muslim Brotherhood's candidate, Mohammed Mursi, faces competition from Abdel Moneim Abul Fotouh, a former member of the Islamist movement who portrays himself as a consensus choice with a wide range of support.

A run-off is scheduled on June 16 and 17 should there be no outright winner.

"Joy is in the air," said the independent daily Al-Shorouk, echoing the feeling of many in describing Wednesday's opening as "a day of happiness and pride."

"The fact that Egyptians are queuing up to choose the president of their republic, and that no one agrees on the name of the future president, this means something has changed," the paper said.

"For sure, the future won't be rosy just because we organized a presidential election, but we won't go back to how it was before," it said.

Al-Ahram, for long the unofficial mouthpiece of the Mubarak regime, congratulated the people for "restoring their free will."

Wednesday's participation "writes a new chapter in Egypt's history... which reflects the beginning of a strong democratic system, whose pillars are democracy and freedom," it said.

Independent daily al-Masry al-Youm however highlighted the fact that the powers of the new president are yet to be defined, after the old constitution was suspended following Mubarak's fall.

"In all cases, we can say that we have passed a difficult test and we are on the right track."