Egypt’s President Sisi Secures Re-Election With 89.6% Of Vote

The incumbent President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, clinched a decisive victory on Monday, securing a renewed six-year term with an impressive 89.6% of the votes, as announced by the election authority.

The voter turnout reached an unprecedented 66.8%, with over 39 million individuals casting their ballots for Sisi, a former army chief who has governed the most populous Arab country for the past decade.

Sisi faced competition from three relatively unknown candidates in the elections held between December 10 and 12.

Hazem Omar, leader of the Republican People’s Party, emerged as the runner-up with 4.5% of the vote.

Following closely were Farid Zahran, leader of the left-leaning Egyptian Social Democratic Party, and Abdel-Sanad Yamama from the century-old but relatively marginal Wafd party.

This victory secures Sisi’s third and final term in office, as outlined by the constitution, set to commence in April.

Despite Egypt grappling with its most severe economic crisis and heightened tensions surrounding the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, Sisi’s win was anticipated.

The country has witnessed a sharp currency decline, with annual inflation at 36.4%, leading to increased prices for essential food items on a weekly basis and impacting household budgets.

Even prior to the current economic challenges, around two-thirds of Egypt’s nearly 106 million population were living at or below the poverty line.