A total of 13 candidates are in fray to become Hosni Mubarak's democratic successor but the final race boils down to five names -- Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Mursi, former foreign minister and secularist Amr Moussa, former prime minister Ahmad Shafiq, Islamist moderate Abdel Moneim Abul Futouh and Left-leaning nationalist Hamdeen Sabahi.
While the first round of voting will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, a run off will follow on June 16, 17, if any single candidate fails to win an outright majority.
Recent opinion polls suggest that Egyptians are still largely undecided about their favoured candidate and the vote will be a close one that will probably lead to a run-off.
While initial polls showed Moussa in the lead, a later surge has been observed in favour of Mubarak's last prime minister Shafiq. Leftist Sabahi has also seen a rise in popularity but continues to be behind the other four, while Mursi's ratings have plummeted.
More significantly, at least 40 per cent of voters have indicated they were still undecided, suggesting confusion and division over distinct ideologies.
Hectic campaigning was on over the past three weeks with millions of dollars being spent, far exceeding the ceiling of USD 1.4 million per candidate, set by the election authority.
The 'electoral silence' started last night, 48 hours before the nation goes to polls. (MORE)