When the protests started, few would have imagined what happened. To see Hosni Mubarak, dictator for decades, swept aside and sent to court was almost unbelievable. Having an election that does not include Mubarak or his son is a major development. Whether the new team will be much different from the old team may be asking for a lot, but again, few imagined this election. Al Jazeera:
Fifty million people are eligible to cast their ballots and voter turnout is expected to be high as two days of voting begin on Wednesday.
The election is the final phase of a tumultuous transition marred by violence, protests and political deadlock, overseen by the ruling military council after a popular uprising ousted longtime President Hosni Mubarak last year.
With none of the 13 candidates expected to secure more than half the votes to win outright in the first round, a runoff between the top two is likely in June.
Among the contenders is former foreign minister and Arab League chief Amr Moussa, who is seen as an experienced politician and diplomat but like Ahmed Shafiq, Mubarak's last prime minister, is accused of belonging to the old
regime.
