A preliminary count showed that on Saturday 170,000 Egyptian expats had voted so far in the presidential elections in embassies across the world

A preliminary count showed that on Saturday 170,000 Egyptian expats had voted so far in the presidential elections in embassies across the world, the Egyptian foreign ministry’s official spokesperson said.

The turnout, according to the foreign ministry, exceeds that of January's constitutional referendum by 150%.

The expat voting, which started on Thursday, will end on Sunday at 9pm. Voting in Egypt will take place on 26 and 27 May.

The presidential race features just two candidates: former army chief Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Nasserist politician Hamdeen Sabahi.  

Increasing calls by anti-military groups for boycotting Egypt’s elections have raised fears about a low turnout.

The now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood of the deposed president Mohammad Mursi has said it will boycott the May 26-26 balloting, calling it a “new farce by the coup leaders.”