A look at Egypt's main presidential candidates

An Egyptian holds a banner showing a half-face portrait of ousted president Hosni Mubarak, left, and his former spy chief Omar Suleiman, during a rally in Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, April 13, 2012.

/ AP Photo

(CBS/AP) CAIRO - Egypt's ruling military council has urged voters to turn out and cast ballots in the country's first presidential elections after the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak.

The Monday statement came two days before more than 50 million Egyptians are to choose the first president after Mubarak's 2011 overthrow. The race is sharply divided between Islamist candidates and former regime officials who are largely campaigning on a secular platform.

The military council said it has no preferred candidate in the race, an apparent response to fears that it may be backing one who can preserve its status as one of Egypt's main power brokers.

The statement also urged Egyptians to accept the results of the elections, which it said will reflect the will of the people.

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The following pages offer a look at the main candidates for the presidency.

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Ken Valley says:: Gee CBS, why don't you just come out and say it, that the Obama-backed Muslim Brotherhood will rig this election and take over Egypt? Wanna talk about cronyism? How about the Obama Administration gave this terrorist organization $1.5 billion. Then, these terrorists turned around and contributed to Obama's campaign! If you don't call that Money Laundering, I'm not sure what else to call it! But, the liberal/biased media will keep this news a hush hush, so they can keep their viewers ignorant and under control! Americans need to wake up and seek the truth from other alternate media, away from the mainstream left-wing entities! America is being attacked from within, and our White House is contributing to the attacks!; reply