Egyptians head to polls in election overshadowed by Gaza war

Egyptians began voting in a presidential election set to hand Abdel Fattah al-Sisi a third term in power

Egyptians began voting on December 10 in a presidential election set to hand Abdel Fattah al-Sisi a third term in power, as the country grapples with an economic crisis and a war on its border with Gaza.

If Sisi wins a new six-year term, his immediate priorities would be taming near-record inflation, managing a chronic foreign currency shortage and preventing spillover from the conflict between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers.

Voting, which runs from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. (0700-1900 GMT), is spread over three days, with results due to be announced on Dec. 18.

Patriotic songs played on a loop as polling stations opened on Sunday morning in Cairo, where pictures of Sisi proliferated in the weeks leading up to the election. Riot police were deployed at entrances to Tahrir Square in the capital's centre.

Critics see the election as a sham after a decade-long crackdown on dissent. The government's media body has called it a step towards political pluralism.

Three candidates qualified to stand against Sisi in the election, none of them high-profile figures. The most prominent potential challenger halted his run in October, saying officials and thugs had targeted his supporters - accusations dismissed by the national election authority.

Authorities and commentators on tightly controlled local media have been urging Egyptians to vote, though some people said days before the poll they did not know when it was taking place. Others said voting would make little difference.