( CNN ) -- Polls finally closed in Egypt 's presidential election Wednesday , and workers have started to count the ballots , according to Egyptian state media . An extra day of voting was added to boost turnout , but it may have done little , according to CNN crews who witnessed no lines at polling places throughout Cairo . The election , initially scheduled for Monday and Tuesday , pit former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi against Hamdeen Sabahy . The election commission extended the voting saying people living far from where they are registered need to return to vote , the state-run Middle East News Agency reported . No numbers have been released , but the move came after TV hosts had openly criticized voters for not participating . Both Candidates had criticized the extra day of voting and had filed complaints . `` 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 Abdel Ghany , a top adviser to Sabahy . Sabahy 's campaign announced Wednesday that it 's withdrawing its delegates who observe the polls because they have been arrested or assaulted : . `` In the past 48 hours we were subjected to a wide range of abuses , assaults and violations . These include preventing campaign delegates from entering the polling stations , and assaulting and arresting them , '' it said in a statement . Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb had even declared Tuesday a public holiday `` in compliance to citizens ' wishes , '' state TV reported . The decision was thought to be a move to increase turnout . Human Rights Watch said Egypt 's 10-month-long crackdown on the opposition undermined the fairness of the presidential elections . `` The mass arrests of thousands of political dissidents , whether Islamist or secular , has all but shut down the political arena and stripped these elections of real meaning , '' the group 's Middle East director , Sarah Leah Whitson , said in a statement Wednesday . The election was called because President Mohamed Morsy was removed from power in July in a popular military coup . Al-Sisi , who was army chief at the time , stepped down from his military post this year to run for president .
NEW : This means the product will ship as received by the manufacturer, sealed, with all advertised components, and with the manufacturer warranty. NEW : Even an extra day of voting did not boost turnout . Human Rights Watch says past crackdowns undermined elections . Both candidates ' campaigns objected to another day of voting .