But even as polls opened today, few voters were seen heading to cast ballots, suggesting that voting is thin or non-existent.
The turnout matters to the front-runner, former military chief Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.
El-Sissi is looking for a huge turnout as evidence of legitimacy for his ouster last July of the nation's first freely elected president, the Islamist Mohammed Morsi.
Opponents say the turnout debacle shows deep discontent with el-Sissi, not just among his Islamist foes but also among a broader section of the public that says he has no solutions for Egypt's woes and fears he will return Egypt to the autocratic ways of Hosni Mubarak.
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