It could have been a fitting culmination to Egypt’s quest for democracy, but the last day of the presidential run-off to elect Hosni Mubarak’s successor was marked by low voter turnout and a general disenchantment.

With a truncated finale that has left many unhappy with the choice of candidates, coupled with a recent court order dissolving the elected parliament, Egypt’s politics is in turmoil and opinion stands deeply polarised.

According to estimates, the first day of the run-off saw a modest over 20 per cent electorate turning out to cast their ballots. The second day of polling did not begin on a much encouraging note either, with marked absence of voter queues.

Egyptians are choosing between Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi and Mubarak’s last prime minister Ahmed Shafiq.

With no constitution in place and the parliament being dissolved by a court order, the country’s military rulers are expected to issue a complimentary constitutional declaration. They are also expected to appoint a 100-member panel to draft a new constitution.

At the end of the first day of vote, the campaign team of Morsi, claimed that 69 per cent of Egyptian voters had thus far chosen their candidate, according to Al Ahram.

However, despite the high stakes and the fact that this is the first free and fair election in the country, enthusiasm is visibly missing.

Egypt’s Lawyers Syndicate said in a statement the majority of polling centres had not seen more than 15 per cent of registered voters come out, Al Jazeera said.

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