Cairo: A group of unruly protesters ransacked and set ablaze the campaign headquarters of Egyptian presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq in Cairo, after the Election Commission announced that Hosni Mubarak's the last prime minister made it into a run off vote with an Islamist rival.
Around 400 people arrived from the direction of Tahrir Square shouting slogans against remnants of the former regime on May 28 night. They broke into the villa in Dokki neighbourhood that housed Shafiq's offices, stole computers, documents and threw them into the streets, an eyewitness said.
The protesters also set fire to an annex of Shafiq's office, hours after Election Commission announced that the second round of the historic polls is to be held between the Muslim Brotherhood candidate Muhamamd Mursi and Shafiq, the former Prime Minister and also the former Air Force commander.
A secretary working at the Shafiq's campaign office informed the Egypt Independent that the campaign workers were notified to leave before they set the fire.
The fire was later extinguished without causing any casualties. Some suspects have been arrested, the police said.
Shafiq's supporters later gathered outside the headquarters, shouting, "Down with the Supreme Guide “(of the Muslim Brotherhood), and the poll will show Shafiq as the President", the police said.
The voting on May 23 and May 24 was Egypt's first freely contested presidential election, which saw a turnout of 46 per cent.
Two of the defeated candidates demanded a recount, citing violations. The claim was later rejected by the High Commission for Presidential Elections.
Commission head Farouq Sultan on May 28 said that Mursi and Shafiq were the top two candidates, each receiving more than five million votes.
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