The Egyptian president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, has swept to a landslide victory after an election in which his only challenger was a supporter of his rule.
Results announced on Monday afternoon gave Sisi 97.08% of valid votes on a 41.5% turnout, a slight increase in the number of votes in his favour despite a dip in turnout from the previous election in 2014.
Moussa Moustafa Moussa, the alternative name on the ballot whose party previously endorsed Sisi, claimed just under 3% of valid votes. Spoiled ballots accounted for 7.27% of the overall result, after some citizens bowed to pressure to show up to the polls but did not vote.
Preliminary results released last Thursday morning had indicated that roughly 40% of the electorate turned out to vote, with 92% of them choosing Sisi. On Friday, this was revised to 42%, with Sisi securing 96.9% of valid votes – the same as the last election in 2014.
Following an election that included no public debates, Egypt’s fragile opposition is hoping that Sisi’s second term will present new opportunities to make their voices heard. Sisi crushed all dissent in his bid to seek a second term in office, with five potential opponents prevented from getting on the ballot. Despite Sisi’s inevitable victory, the race also highlighted discontent at his rule from within the state itself.
“I don’t think Sisi wants any kind of real politics in Egypt,” said Hamdeen Sabahi, a former two-time presidential candidate. “He put politics and politicians under siege. He hates politics. He hates other opinions.”
Sabahi previously joined with a coalition of other pro-democracy figures to call for a boycott of the vote, but they swiftly found themselves under investigationby the country’s public prosecutor and accused of attempting to overthrow the regime. Another signatory, Abdel Moneim Fotouh, was arrested in a raid on his home and later added to the country’s terror list.
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