A presidential run-off between an Islamist and an ex-prime minister gives Egyptians a hard choice to make for the country whose power will either be dominated by a single group, or return to the hand of a former government's official.

Results of the first round vote released by state media show the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi is set to face ex-prime minister Ahmed Shafiq in the run-off vote slated for June 16 and 17. Morsi got 5.45 million votes, or 24.9 percent, while Shafiq got 5.34 million, or 24.4 percent, according to the Al-Masry Al- Youm website.

"The voters should be aware that they will choose between a civil state and an Islamic one," Noha Bakr, professor of political studies at the American University in Cairo, told Xinhua.

"The initial results of the elections showed two blocks in the political life, both the most organized ones, financially and in the human power field," she said.

Bakr said Muslim Brotherhood's manpower can persuade simple people in the name of religion and then gather them to vote for their candidate. In his electoral campaigns, Morsi has repeatedly mentioned the implementation of Sharia (Islamic law).

"While Shafiq who has financial abilities, is supported by those people who may agree with the revolution, but are disgusted by the chaos and disorder following it. The businessmen and the member of the disbanded National Democratic Party who became isolated and renounced after the revolution will also back him," Bakr said.

Akram Houssam, political expert in the National Center for Middle East Studies, said the Sufis, estimated to have a total population of 10 million, supported Shafiq, which raised his shares in the first round.

Many families of the troops and police also supported Shafiq. The biggest block of voters for Shafiq came from ordinary people with no party affiliations, he said. Shafiq was air force commander and aviation minister for many years, his strong personality is much appreciated by many young and old people.

Black-horse Nasserist Hamdeen Sabahi ranked the third with 4.62 million votes, or 21 percent, while Moderate Aboul Fotouh and former Arab League chief Amr Moussa, ranked the fourth and fifth respectively, with 17.8 percent and 11.3 percent, although they had been the top popular candidates in polls prior to the vote.

"In my opinion, the debate which was run between Moussa and Aboul-Fotouh before the vote got their shares down, as debating is a Western way which has not yet accepted by the Egyptians," Bakr said.

"Also, Salafists had promised to vote for Fotouh, but they broke their promise, and the Wafd Party made the same with Moussa, which got them lose big shares from their votes," Bakr said, adding that the reason behind the Salafists' situation was that they don't have the principle of obedience within the group like the Muslim Brotherhood.

The results of the first round shocked many people, especially the protesters engaged in the unrest that toppled ex-President Hosni Mubarak. Some of them decided to boycott the voting in the run-off.

"In fact we are shocked and feel lost, we don't know for whom to vote, voting for Morsi means not only an Islamic state, but also a new National Democratic Party who controls everything in the state. Voting for Shafiq means we sign an acknowledgement of the revolution's failure," a supporter of Sabahi told Xinhua.

"All my friends and I will boycott the voting. Of course we won 't vote for Mubarak's loyal Shafiq. But we don't trust the Muslim Brotherhood," Mahmod Sahalaby, 24, told Xinhua.

"Boycotting the elections means giving both trends of the former government and the Muslim Brotherhood a chance to control the scene, one should learn how to choose the best of the worst," Bakr said.

Morsi started to appeal to the protesters against remnants of the former corrupt government.

He called the electoral campaigns for Sabahi, Moussa, Fotouh, Awwa, and Ali to discuss with them the proceedings of the coming period to face Mubarak's follower. Reports said Sabahi, Moussa, and Fotouh didn't attend the meeting.

For his part, Shafiq held a press conference Saturday and tried to appeal for all the political factions.

He thanked all candidates, saying "all competitors have the same objective which is to serve the nation, and after wrapping up the elections, nothing will remain but the mutual respect among all."

"I call for a dialogue with all politicians whatever their different trends are, and for a coalition with the people not a particular group," Shafiq said.

Houssam said both candidates have a chance to win and no one can predict who will win because their maps of voters will increase.

"Certainly, all the Coptic Christians whose votes were distributed between Sabahi, Moussa, Shafiq, are likely to go all to Shafiq, with a part of liberals who are totally against the religious state," Houssam said.

"Also the votes of Islamists, the revolutionists and the Salafists will definitely go to Morsi," Houssam added.

"The Egyptian society has a special nature, no one can completely read the thoughts of normal citizens in the streets," Bakr said.

Some youth groups have warned they will launch another "revolt" if Shafiq wins. Definitely, what Muslim Brotherhood's domination of power would mean if Morsi succeeds is a great concern to Egyptians.