Candidate's Headquarters attacked as vote polarises Egypt

An attack on the offices of one of the two finalists in Egypt's presidential race has sounded a warning that the last round of voting might spark more violence in a nation polarised by the choice between an Islamist and an ex-general from Hosni Mubarak's era.
Protesters set fire to storage rooms and smashed computers late on Monday at the campaign headquarters of Ahmed Shafiq, a 70-year-old former air force chief and premier under Mubarak, who was confirmed as a run-off candidate after the first round. His rival is Mohamed Mursi, 60, of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's main Islamist group, which already controls the biggest bloc in parliament. Mursi offered on Tuesday to include members of other groups in senior posts if he is elected, a bid to win endorsements from rivals who lost the race last week.
Though he and Shafiq each took almost a quarter of votes cast, that leaves a big section of Egypt's 50 million eligible voters who are wary of having either a conservative Islamist or a former military man in charge. They face a wrenching decision in the run-off vote on June 16 and 17. Some say they won't vote.
"We either choose a politicised Islamic group which will crush civil liberties or the old regime," said lawyer Sherif El Hosseny, 34. "I am not sure whether I will even be voting." Also grappling with the choice are the more secular-minded activists from the April 6 youth movement, which united protesters against Mubarak and his ruling party. For them, their revolution has been hijacked by Islamists and the old guard.
"The choice is between bad and worse, between a group that monopolises religion and power or the return of (Mubarak's) party," said Mahmoud Afify, an April 6 spokesman, adding the group was talking to Mursi to see if it could win guarantees to back him. Shafiq has made no secret of his admiration for Mubarak, describing him as a role model after his own father. Protesters threw stones and shoes at him when he voted in Cairo last week.
Dozens of people marched in Alexandria on Tuesday holding banners against Shafiq. One read: "No to Ahmed Shafiq, a man of the previous regime." In his bid to broaden his appeal beyond the Brotherhood's disciplined network of supporters who propelled him to the run-off, Mursi indicated he was offering vice-president posts and even the prime minister's position to people outside his group. "I am committed to the presidency being an institution. It will never be an individual," Mursi told a news conference.