Polling opened in Egypt on Sunday’s final day of a divisive election to choose a successor to ousted president Hosni Mubarak, in a race that pits a former regime premier against an Islamist.

Polling opened in Egypt on Sunday's final day of a divisive election to choose a successor to ousted president Hosni Mubarak, in a race that pits a former regime premier against an Islamist.

Queues had already formed outside some voting stations before they opened their doors at 8:00 am (0600 GMT) with police and army deployed outside, AFP reporters said.

The historic runoff elections started on Saturday and will continue until the end of Sunday with the candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, Mohammad Mursi, running against ousted dictator Hosni Mubarak’s last Prime Minister Ahmad Shafiq.

Mursi has promised that an Egypt under his leadership would be inclusive, and vowed to defend the goals of last year's uprising, while Shafiq is standing on a tough law-and-order platform.

The ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) has vowed to hand over power to the winner of the election by July 1.

More than 50 million people are eligible to vote in the election.

The election has polarized the nation, however, the early results of the Egyptian expatriates’ voting show Mursi ahead of Shafiq, Press TV reported.