presidential election run-off starts in Egypt

There is a two-day run-off election in Egypt to choose between Ahmed Shafiq, former President Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister  Mohammed Mursi, head of the Muslim Brotherhood's political wing to be their first freely elected president. The ruling generals have vowed to hand over power to the winner by 30 June.

But correspondents say there is less enthusiasm than there was for previous rounds of voting, and some have called for a boycott or spoiled ballots.
As polls opened on Saturday morning, there was little sign of the long queues that characterised the first round, or the parliamentary polls which took place between November and January.
Particularly noticeable is the lack of young people voting

Around Cairo, it is relatively quiet on the sun-baked streets. Two days of national holiday were declared in an effort to boost voter turnout. Voting has also been extended until 21:00, when it will be cooler.
Yet some Egyptians cannot be convinced to go to the polls. "I can't vote for Mohammed Mursi. His party failed every test in the past year. They were greedy and opportunist," rationalises Ahmed from Helipolis. "If I voted for Ahmed Shafiq, I would betray my conscience."
In the poor Imbaba district, there are only small queues outside polling stations. The community appears split between the two candidates. "Dr Mursi is the sound of truth. I will not vote for any faloul (remnant of the old regime). I lived 30 years of oppression," says Iman, who wears the full face veil. A Christian woman, Nevine, disagrees. "Ahmed Shafiq is the better one. He has political experience and will control Egypt well," she says.

They seem to be particularly disenchanted with the choice between Mr Shafiq, a candidate seen as a representative of the old regime, and the Islamist Mr Morsi, our correspondent says.

While state TV has been urging people to vote, some activists have been distributing flyers in several Cairo metro stations calling for a boycott.
Meanwhile, Mr Mursi's campaign held a press conference on Saturday afternoon in which it said several electoral violations had been reported, and urged voters to report any incidents.
Courtesy BBC NEWS.