From our Evan Hill, in Cairo:

With less than an hour to go before the Supreme Presidential Election Commission is set to announce the highly anticipated election results, Cairenes are becoming increasingly anxious about what happens afterward.

If Shafiq wins, most expect the Muslim Brotherhood to send supporters into the streets to protest and the numbers in Tahrir Square to swell, though top Brotherhood leaders have repeatedly said they will not be the ones responsible for any violence. In and around the capital, businesses have begun shutting down and dismissing employees. State-run schools and offices sent workers home on company-organised busses beginning at around 1pm, and many private employers also decided to close business not long after.

Meanwhile, security forces were reportedly increased around government sites, and the interior ministry was forced to deny a report on CNN that its troops had been given orders to "shoot to kill" anyone who attacked police stations.

Karim Abdalla, a financial journalist, tweeted that every company he deals with on the Egyptian stock exchange had sent employees home by 2pm.

"Paranoia reigns," he said.