Egyptians flocked to polling stations on Monday for their first free election in living memory, part of a transition born in revolutionary euphoria but now tinged by distrust of the generals who replaced Hosni Mubarak.

"This is the first real election in 30 years. Egyptians are making history," said Walid Atta, 34, an engineer waiting to vote at a school on his way to work in Alexandria.

In the nine months since a popular revolt ended Mubarak's 30-year rule, political change in Egypt has faltered, with the military apparently more focused on preserving its power and privilege than on fostering any democratic transformation.

Frustration erupted last week into bloody protests that cost 42 lives and forced the army council to promise civilian rule by July after the parliamentary vote and a presidential poll, now expected in June - much sooner than previously envisaged.

There were no reports of serious election-day violence. But scuffles among women voters erupted at one Alexandria polling station that opened late because ballot papers had not arrived.

Tents of protesters demanding an immediate end to army rule still stood in Cairo's Tahrir Square, but after heavy overnight rain, only a few score demonstrators had stayed on.

At least 1,000 people were queuing outside one polling station in the central Cairo district of Zamalek when voting started at 8 a.m. The line stretched around the block. Posters of candidates and parties festooned the street.

"We are very happy to be here and to be part of the election," said Wafa Zaklama, 55, voting for the first time in a parliamentary election. "What was the point before?"

In rain-washed Alexandria, Egypt's second city, men and women voted in long, separate queues. "I am here to cast my vote. This is a national duty in this time of crisis," said Abdullah Metwali, 55, voting on his way to work.

Campaign posters for Islamist parties, such as the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), and the Salafi Nour Party and the moderate Wasat Party festooned streets nearby. Troops outnumbered police guarding polling stations.

The segregated voting for men and women in Alexandria and many other places was a reminder of the conservative religious fabric of Egypt's mainly Muslim society, where Coptic Christians comprise 10 percent of a population of more than 80 million.

A host of parties have been formed since the removal of Mubarak, who routinely rigged elections to ensure that his now-dissolved National Democratic Party dominated parliament.

About 17 million Egyptians are eligible to vote in the first two-day phase of three rounds of polling for the lower house, which will be completed on January 11. Under a complex electoral system, voters pick both party lists and individual candidates.

Source:Reuters