Official result - President Al-Sisi wins election in Egypt with almost 90 percent
As expected, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has been re-elected with a large majority in Egypt's presidential election. The National Election Authority announced on Monday that the incumbent, who has been in power for ten years, received 89.6 percent of the vote. Al-Sisi thus secured himself another six-year term in office, which is also his last according to the Egyptian constitution.
Al-Sisi suppresses opposition in Egypt
The vote was conducted in an orderly manner overall, claimed Hasim Badawi, chairman of the electoral authority. "There were no violations or irregularities that disrupted the election process." The voter turnout was an "unprecedented" 66.8 percent. According to critics, however, there has not been a free election in the country since al-Sisi took office ten years ago. Any serious opposition had been almost completely stifled. This is one of the reasons why the president's opponents were given little chance even before the three-day election.
According to the electoral authority, none of al Sisi's three challengers achieved five percent of the votes cast. Hasem Omar from the Republican People's Party received 4.5 percent of the vote. The other two candidates, Farid Sahran, head of the left-wing Social Democratic Party, and Abdel-Sanad Jamama from the national-liberal Wafd party, were even further behind.
In the 2014 and 2018 elections, al-Sisi was confirmed in office with 96% in both cases. The former army chief deposed the democratically elected President Mohammed Morsi of the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood in a military coup in 2013 and has ruled the country with a heavy hand ever since.
However, Al-Sisi also has many supporters who trust him to restore stability in the country, including in the economy. Egypt, with a population of almost 106 million, is groaning under a severe economic crisis and high inflation.
Read also:
- Year of climate records: extreme is the new normal
- Precautionary arrests show Islamist terror threat
- UN vote urges Israel to ceasefire
- SPD rules out budget resolution before the end of the year
Source: www.stern.de
