Thousands gather for Friday prayers in Tahrir Square

Thousands of Egyptians filled Cairo's Tahrir Square for Friday prayers as Egypt's presidential candidates, an Islamist and a former general, accused each other of trying to steal an election whose result is still not known five days on.

A result is not expected until Saturday or Sunday, giving the country a tense weekend.

Confidence is ebbing away in a process Egyptians hoped would secure the democracy they thought they had won with blood spilt on the square over a year ago.

The military which has promised to hand power to civilians by July 1, dissolved a new, Islamist-led parliament on the eve of the presidential run-off and then issued a decree as polls closed setting strict limits on the powers of whoever would be elected president.