Voter turnout for the presidential election that began on Friday did not exceed 15 percent of all registered voters, announced the Egyptian embassy in London.

Presidential contender, Ahmed Shafiq, refuted Monday accusations by Wasat Party MP, Essam Sultan, that he had exploited his position as head of Young Air Force Officers Association by selling thousands of acres of state land in Ismailiya, earmarked for the Association, at reduced prices to Hosni Mubarak's sons.

Presidential hopeful Hamdeen Sabbahi has pledged that if elected, he would not export natural gas to Israel, even if the two countries agreed to raise the price of the gas.

Presidential hopeful Ahmed Shafiq leads the presidential race, according to an opinion poll conducted by the Cabinet’s Information and Decision Support Center, MENA reported.

The liberal Free Egyptians Party has warned against what it described as the “dire consequences” of using mosques to campaign for presidential candidates.

Egypt's liberal Free Egyptians Party (FEP) announced in a Monday press statement that it will not be supporting a presidential candidate in the upcoming elections, as no one contender secured enough votes in the party's internal poll.

"I'll believe it when I see it, but I am not really convinced that they will go completely. They'll have the (presidential) elections on time because they know that otherwise they would face trouble. But they will find a way to keep interfering," said Nabil, a retired civil servant. commenting on the imminent end to the rule of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF).

The Supreme Administrative Court has accepted the Presidential Elections Commission's appeal against a lower court's decision to halt the presidential elections.

CAIRO — Taking advantage of Egypt’s political upheaval, thieves have gone on a treasure hunt with a spree of illegal digging, preying on the country’s ancient pharaonic heritage.

The Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission (SPEC), tasked with managing the elections process, has reportedly decided not to ban Mubarak's last prime minister Ahmed Shafiq from the presidential race, commission sources have revealed.

Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement on Wednesday containing detailed voting guidelines for Egyptians living abroad, who will be able to cast ballots in Egypt’s first post-revolution presidential poll from 11 to 17 May.

Mohamed ElBaradei has called on revolutionary forces to work with all social classes to achieve the goals of the revolution, adding that peaceful protest gives the revolution strength and purity.

Women protesters and rights groups have accused Egyptian troops and prison authorities of sexual assault during the latest crackdown on demonstrations, reviving allegations they are using abuse to intimidate female detainees and protesters.

Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri has made a limited cabinet reshuffle, with three ministers leaving the cabinet, the state-owned wire service MENA reported.

According to the Muslim Brotherhood's English-language website, Mohamed Abdel-Qudous, leading member of the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate, declared that the syndicate was "leaning towards" calling on members to refrain from reporting news related to Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) pending the release of all journalists detained in last weekend's Abbassiya clashes.

The curfew imposed in the Abbasseya neighborhood of Cairo and the areas surrounding the Defense Ministry has extended for the sixth day, state TV quoted a military source as saying on Wednesday.

Initial reactions varied towards Tuesday's controversial decision by the Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission (SPEC) to indefinitely suspend all of its activities, with some political forces blaming the legal body, while others took a swipe at the People's Assembly (the lower house of Egypt's parliament).

Major General Adel al-Morsy, head of the military judiciary, on Tuesday refused to disclose the number of people detained in the clashes that erupted last Friday between demonstrators and army troops in front of the Defense Ministry in Abbasseya.

Initial reactions varied towards Tuesday's controversial decision by the Supreme Presidential Electoral Commission (SPEC) to indefinitely suspend all of its activities, with some political forces blaming the legal body, while others took a swipe at the People's Assembly (the lower house of Egypt's parliament).

Parliament’s Proposals and Complaints Committee on Tuesday approved a draft law submitted by MP Yasser al-Qady proposing a harsher punishment for printing the Quran without a license.

In press statements on Tuesday, Farouk Sultan, chairman of the Presidential Elections Commission, said the election will be held on time.