The mood on the streets of Cairo's Abbasiya district on Wednesday morning was characteristically pensive, as it has been for the past three weeks since the eruption ofbloody clashesnear defence ministry headquarters between protesters angry with the disqualification of Salafist presidential hopeful Hazem Abu-Ismail, unknown assailants and military police.

Egyptians are voting today for the first president after the 25 January uprising. More than 50 million citizens across Egypt’s 27 governorates are eligible to vote, choosing from 11 candidates. The contest is considered wide open. Egypt Independent will be bringing you live updates throughout the day.

Presidential candidate and former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq denied on Wednesday rumors that he had suffered a stroke or been the victim of an assassination attempt.

Secretary General of the Presidential Elections Commission Hatem Bagato said Tuesday that ousted President Hosni Mubarak and his son, Gamal, have the right to vote in the presidential election.

Egypt’s stock market had risen by midday Wednesday, encouraged by an atmosphere of optimism produced by the presidential election, which has so far not witnessed major problems, alleviating investors’ fears.

As I stood in a line of around thirty women in front of Insaf Siry School in Shubra, the historic neighbourhood in central Cairo, the air was tense. The atmosphere was one of seriousness and worry rather than excitement about Egypt's first democratic presidential election.

In press statements on Monday, Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri said the government would not allow any irregularities in this week's presidential election, and would take all legal measures against attempts to prevent citizens from casting their votes.

Egypt's economy grew by 5.2 per cent in the first quarter of the 2012 calendar year, the country's minister of planning said on Monday.

The National Council for Human Rights (NHCR) called upon the Presidential Elections Commission to extend the voting period to allow all Egyptians to cast their votes.

Egypt's ex-intelligence chief has predicted a military coup that will eventually pit the country's armed forces against the Muslim Brotherhood and its future "Iranian-style revolutionary guard".

ABU DHABI — Egypt has bought 1.1 million tons of local wheat so far in the 2011/2012 season despite diesel shortages that have hampered harvesting, an official at the Supply and Domestic Trade Ministry said late Monday.

With only two days to go before Egypt's first post-Mubarak presidential election on Wednesday and Thursday, the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) appears set to issue an interim constitution. The move comes after parliament failed to form a constituent assembly mandated with writing Egypt's first post-revolution national charter.

The general committee supervising voting for Egyptians abroad in the presidential election is scheduled to meet Monday at the Foreign Ministry to count the ballots cast last week.

Famous Egyptian writer and journalist Mohamed Hassenein Heikel spoke Sunday in interview with Al-Ahram newspaper about the progress of the Egyptian revolution and the upcoming presidential elections. Heikal warns that the elections alone will not solve Egypt's problems or the surmount challenges the revolution is facing.

A ban on presidential campaigning entered into force on Monday with two days to go for Egypt's first election since a popular uprising ousted longtime President Hosni Mubarak.

While the country is preoccupied with the presidential election set for Wednesday and Thursday, certain activists, politicians and human rights groups are trying to keep the spotlight on dozens of protesters arrested following the early May clashes in front of the Defense Ministry in Abbasseya.

The Presidential Elections Commission has designated one judge per ballot box to oversee the polling stations for the election scheduled to start Wednesday, commission Secretary General Hatem Bagato said.

Several political groups have called for a day of hunger strike under the banner "We are all prisoners under military rule," to take place at the Journalists' Syndicate Sunday.

The Supreme Council of Armed Forces is planning to issue a complementary constitutional declaration within two days that would give the Parliament the right to remove the current cabinet and form a new one, with the exception for the "sovereign ministries," informed sources have told Al-Masry Al-Youm

A presidetial election poll conducted by the cabinet-affiliated Center for Information and Decision Support showed Ahmed Shafiq in the lead for the second week in a row with 12 percent, followed by Amr Moussa with 11 percent.

The Egypt director of the US governmental aid organization said it has provided US$3 million to the high elections commission to fund the presidential elections scheduled for 23 and 24 May.