The campaign headquarters of one of Egypt’s two presidential hopefuls was stormed by a mob and set alight on Monday night, as thousands protested the results of the first round of the country’s presidential election. The elections committee had earlier in the day confirmed that Ahmed Shafiq, who was named prime minister by ousted president Hosni Mubarak in the dying days of his regime, would face the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi in the second-round run-off. It is a contest between the two most polarising and controversial figures in the race. The committee also said it had rejected appeals against the first round of voting that had alleged a number of violations of election law, including mistakes in counting votes.
Thousands took to the streets of Egypt’s two biggest cities, Cairo and Alexandria, in the hours after the announcements. Later in the night, a group of protesters broke into and vandalised Mr Shafiq’s office in the Cairo residential district of Dokki before setting it alight, the state news agency reported. An official in the fire service confirmed the blaze had been extinguished and said there were no casualties. Trouble later flared in Cairo’s Tahrir Square where activists said unknown assailants had attacked a group of protesters. Rocks flew in scenes reminiscent of clashes in the square when the uprising against the Mubarak regime first erupted.
Full Article: Egypt election run-off sparks protests – FT.com.
