Unsurprisingly, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi was re-elected to a third term with 89.6% of the vote, at a time when Egypt is experiencing the worst economic crisis in its history.
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The outcome of the vote, which took place Dec. 10-12, was largely predictable as the former army chief campaigned against a small group of little-known candidates.
Voter turnout reached an “unprecedented” rate of 66.8% among Egypt's 67 million voters, said Hazem Badawy, head of the National Electoral Authority.
Mr. Sissi, 69, has led Egypt for a decade and will begin his new term in April, which will be his last under Egypt's constitution.
His re-election was hardly in doubt in the country of 106 million people, which has been plagued by numerous crises ranging from purchasing power to war in neighboring Gaza.
In the 2014 and 2018 presidential elections, former Marshal Sissi, who came to power by overthrowing Islamist Mohamed Morsi in 2013, won with more than 96% of the vote, with a turnout rate of 47% in 2014 and 41.05%. in 2018.
He has since extended the presidential term from four to six years and amended the constitution to extend the limit from two to three consecutive presidential terms.
39 million voters
This year, the president ran against three candidates little known to the general public: Hazem Omar, leader of the Republican People's Party and runner-up in the vote with 4.5% of the vote, Farid Zahran, leader of a small left-wing party, and Abdel- Sanad Yamama of the Wafd, a centuries-old but now marginalized party.
According to the National Electoral Authority, more than 44 million people voted from December 10 to 12, with more than 39 million of them voting for Mr. Sissi.
The president's campaign signs were everywhere on the streets. Several voters leaving the polling station told AFP that they “didn't know the other candidates.”
For ten years, the suppression of the opposition eliminated any serious competition for Mr. Sissi, the fifth army president since 1952.
Under his government, thousands of political prisoners were imprisoned and the space for dissent gradually diminished.
However, the opposition had gained momentum during the presidential election campaign this year, but on October 7, media attention and opinions across Arab countries were quickly diverted by the deadly war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Economic management
The election also took place in the midst of an economic crisis: inflation is at 36.4%, the currency has lost half its value and prices for certain staple foods are rising every week.
Two thirds of the Egyptian population live below or just above the poverty line.
Many Egyptians who support Mr. Sissi believe he is the architect of the country's return to calm after the chaos that followed the “revolution” during the 2011 Arab Spring and the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak after 30 years of rule.
Since the start of his first term in 2014, Mr. Sissi promised to ensure stability, including economic stability.
Since 2016, an ambitious but painful reform program has been implemented with devaluations and cuts in state subsidies.
Measures that led to a rise in prices, fueled popular discontent and caused Mr. Sissi's popularity and even support from abroad to decline over the years.
Its economic management has caused debts to triple, and megaprojects often attributed to the army have so far failed to deliver the promised returns.
The presidential election was originally scheduled for spring 2024, but President Sissi was determined to secure a third term before proceeding with the new devaluation, experts said, given the impact on Egyptians' purchasing power and possible discontent.
Most goods are imported, and a severe shortage of foreign currency has caused the parallel market to explode, driving up consumer prices even further and depleting families' savings.