( CNN ) -- Voting in Egypt 's presidential election will be extended into a third day Wednesday to allow citizens a greater chance to vote , election officials announced Tuesday in a move criticized by both candidates ' campaigns . It was n't immediately clear whether the candidates ' complaints would have any effect on the decision by the country 's election commission . The election , initially scheduled only for Monday and Tuesday , pits former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi against Hamdeen Sabahy . `` We strongly denounce the ( election commission 's ) decision to extend voting another day . Extending the voting period for no real plausible reason will open the door to possible vote violations and rigging , '' said Hussein AbdelGhany , a top adviser to Sabahy . The election commission extended the voting in part so that people living in areas away from where they are registered can return to vote , the state-run Middle East News Agency reported . No numbers have been released , but the move comes amid concerns expressed in Egyptian media that the turnout has been low . TV hosts this week openly criticized voters for not participating . At the few dozen polling places that CNN visited or drove by in the Cairo area this week , there were no significant lines of people waiting to vote . The move also comes after Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb , late Monday night , declared Tuesday a public holiday `` in compliance to citizens ' wishes , '' state TV reported . The decision was thought to be a move to increase turnout . Both campaigns said they filed complaints against the commission 's extension . AbdelGhany said Sabahy would consider withdrawing from the race if his complaint was ignored . The election was called because then-President Mohamed Morsy was removed from power in July in a popular military coup . El-Sisi , who was army chief at the time , stepped down from his military post this year to run for president .
Both candidates object to extension , their campaigns say . Move comes amid concerns , expressed by Egyptian TV hosts , that turnout has been low . Score: 6