The May 26-27 presidential poll, meant to restore elected rule following the July overthrow of Islamist Mohamed Morsi, is widely expected to place former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in power.
His only rival, Hamdeen Sabbahi, came third in the 2012 election which Morsi won, and faces a groundswell of support for Sisi since the ouster of the divisive Islamist leader.
Sabbahi says he represents the ideals of the 2011 uprising that overthrew veteran strongman Hosni Mubarak.
If Sisi wins, he will restore a line of military men at the helm of the country that was briefly interrupted by the civilian Morsi's year in power.
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"I promise to work hard, and I ask everyone to assume responsibility with me. Building this nation is the responsibility of us all," Sisi said today in a message posted on Twitter.
"Stability, security and hope for Egypt will be achieved through our will and capabilities," he said.
Sisi, reviled by Morsi's Islamist supporters, has vowed to stamp out a surge in militant attacks such as the two bombings yesterday that killed a policeman in the capital and a soldier in the Sinai Peninsula.
Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and the militants are expected to increase protests and attacks should Sisi win, despite the widest crackdown on Islamists in decades.
At least 1,400 people, mostly Islamists, have been killed in street clashes, including hundreds on August 14 alone, while thousands have been jailed and placed on trials.