Abdel Fattah El-Sissi has swept to a third, six-year term as Egypt’s president, winning 89.6% of votes in an election, the National Election Authority announced on Monday. The election took place as Egypt tries to manage the risk of spillover from the war in Gaza, which borders Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
Quick Read
- Landslide Victory: El-Sissi won 89.6% of the votes, securing his third six-year term as Egypt’s president.
- No Serious Challengers: The election featured three other candidates, but none were high-profile.
- High Voter Turnout: Turnout was reported at 66.8%, significantly higher than the 41% in the last presidential election in 2018.
- Impact of Gaza Conflict: The ongoing conflict in Gaza, bordering Egypt, influenced some voters to support El-Sissi, viewing him as a stabilizing force in the region.
- Media and State Influence: State media and authorities heavily promoted the election, encouraging voter participation.
- Constitutional Amendment: The Egyptian constitution was amended in 2019, extending the presidential term from four to six years and allowing El-Sisi to run for a third term.
- Infrastructure Developments: El-Sissi’s tenure has been marked by major infrastructure projects, including the construction of a new capital city.
- Support for Women’s Representation: El-Sissi’s backers, including the youth branch of the pro-Sisi Homat AlWatan party, advocate for increased female representation in key positions and revisions of personal rights laws.
- Security Focus: El-Sissi’s supporters emphasize the importance of security, especially in the context of regional instability.
- 2013 Revolution Leadership: El-Sissi, a former general, led Egypt’s 2013 revolution, overthrowing the then democratically elected leader, but most divisive, Mohamed Mursi, from the Muslim Brotherhood.
Reuters has the story:
Egypt’s El-Sissi sweeps to third term as President with 89.6% of vote
Newslooks- CAIRO, (Reuters)
Abdel Fattah El-Sissi has swept to a third, six-year term as Egypt’s president, winning 89.6% of votes in an election, the National Election Authority announced on Monday, and he called the vote a rejection of the “inhumane war” in neighboring Gaza.
The election took place as Egypt tries to manage the risk of spillover from the war in Gaza, which borders Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
“Egyptians lined up to vote not just to choose their president for the next term, but to express their rejection of this inhumane war to the entire world.”
El- Sissi said in a speech soon after the results were announced.
He said Egypt had to do all it could to stop the war between Israel and Gaza’s ruling Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, describing it as his country’s primary challenge.
Israel’s heavy bombardment and invasion of the Gaza Strip, after an Hamas assault into Israel, has flattened much of the enclave and left most of its people homeless. Egypt has warned it will not allow any cross-border exodus of Gazans.
Some voters said the eruption of conflict in Gaza had encouraged them to vote for El-Sissi, who has long presented himself as a bulwark of stability in a volatile region – an argument that has also proved effective with Gulf and Western allies providing financial support to his government.
Voting in Egypt was held over three days on Dec. 10-12, with the state and tightly controlled domestic media pushing hard to boost turnout, which the election authority said had reached 66.8% – above the 41% recorded at the last presidential election in 2018.
The election featured three other candidates, none of them high profile.
Egypt’s state media body has said the vote was a step towards political pluralism and authorities have denied violations of electoral rules.
CONSTITUTION AMENDED
El-Sissi, a former general, led the 2013 Revolution of Egypt’s first democratically, but most divisive, elected leader, Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood.
He was elected to the presidency in 2014, and re-elected in 2018, both times with 97% of the vote. The constitution was amended in 2019, extending the presidential term to six years from four, and allowing El-Sissi to stand for a third term.
Some admire an infrastructure drive including a new capital built from scratch in the desert east of Cairo. Others see the city as a costly extravagance at a time when Egypt’s debt has swollen and prices have soared.
El-Sissi’s backers say security is paramount, and that some groups have benefited under his rule.
That included women, said Nourhan ElAbbassy, assistant secretary-general of the youth branch of the pro-El-Sissi Homat AlWatan party.
“We would love to see more females in key positions, more female ministers in the cabinet as long as they’re qualified, and revisions of personal rights laws that have to do with issues like marriage, divorce and alimony,” she said.
Authorities have sought to address criticism of Egypt’s human rights record with serious steps including opening a national dialogue and releasing some prominent prisoners.
