Egypt Election Candidate Shafiq's HQ Attacked

Protesters have set fire to the headquarters of Egyptian presidential run-off candidate Ahmed Shafiq, an ex-prime minister under the ousted regime of Hosni Mubarak.

"We were inside when they attacked us," one member of Mr Shafiq's campaign staff said.

"They set fire to the garage that had general Shafiq's campaign literature."

Around 20 of his supporters gathered outside the headquarters following the blaze, chanting their support with pro-Shafiq posters littering the pavement on the street in the Dokki neighbourhood.

Shafiq is to face the Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi in the second round of Egypt's presidential election.

The final results - widely predicted by unofficial vote tallies - were announced at a news conference in Cairo, setting the stage for a divisive showdown in the nation's historic poll.

The outcome has alarmed many Egyptians who now face a stark choice between Dr Morsi, a conservative Islamist, and Mr Shafiq, a former member of Hosni Mubarak's regime.

The country's electoral commission said Dr Morsi won 24.3% of the votes in the first round of polling between May 23 and 24. Ahmed Shafiq came a close second with 23.3%.

The leftist candidate Hamdeen Sabahi lost out in third place with 20.4% of the votes, while the moderate Islamist Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh won 17.2%.

The former head of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, won just 10.9%, despite opinion polls suggesting he would emerge the winner.

Both Mr Sabahi and Mr Aboul Fotouh have rejected the results as "dishonest", claiming widespread irregularities, including the "buying" of votes.

But their appeals to the electoral commission were rejected. Mr Moussa has also expressed concerns about the process.

The turnout in the first round was 46% - much lower than expected for the first "free and fair" presidential election in Egypt's history.

Some 75% of the electorate voted in the country's recent parliamentary elections.

The Muslim Brotherhood is already trying to win over voters who are concerned about Islamist rule in Egypt by presenting itself as the guardian of the revolution.

The movement has derided Mr Shafiq - a former air force commander - as an ally of the military and a continuation of the "old corrupt regime".

But Mr Shafiq has tried to distance himself from the ousted president Mubarak, telling Egyptians that there "will be no going back".

The Muslim Brotherhood is expected to name a liberal as the candidate for Vice President ahead of the June 16 and 17 run-off in an effort to appease Egypt's "middle ground".

Egyptian analysts are predicting a fractious contest which might trigger further unrest.