Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi was unsurprisingly re-elected for a third term, with 89.6% of the vote, at a time when Egypt is going through the worst economic crisis in its history.
• Read also: IN PICTURES | The 7 wonders of the ancient world reconstructed up to date by artificial intelligence
The outcome of the vote, which took place from December 10 to 12, was largely predictable, with the former army chief having campaigned against a small group of little-known candidates.
Turnout reached an “unprecedented” rate of 66.8% among Egypt’s 67 million voters, said National Elections Authority head Hazem Badawy.
At the head of Egypt for a decade, Mr. Sissi, aged 69, will begin his new term in April, supposed to be the last according to the Egyptian Constitution.
His re-election was little in doubt in the country of 106 million inhabitants plagued by multiple crises, ranging from purchasing power to the war in the neighboring Gaza Strip.
In the presidential elections of 2014 and 2018, ex-Marshal Sissi, who came to power in 2013 by overthrowing the Islamist Mohamed Morsi, won with more than 96% of the votes, with a 47% participation rate in 2014 and 41 .05% in 2018.
He has since extended the length of 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 was opposed to three candidates little known to the general public: Hazem Omar, leader of the Republican People’s Party and second in the vote with 4.5% of the vote, Farid Zahran, leader of a small left-wing party and Abdel- Sanad Yamama, from the Wafd, a century-old but now marginal party.
More than 44 million people voted from December 10 to 12, according to the National Elections Authority, and more than 39 million of them voted for Mr. Sissi.
In the streets, the president’s campaign signs were everywhere. Several voters leaving the polls told AFP that they “did not know the other candidates”.
For ten years, repression of the opposition eliminated any serious competition for Mr. Sissi, the fifth president from the ranks of the army since 1952.
His administration saw the imprisonment of thousands of political prisoners, with space for dissent gradually reduced.
The opposition, however, had gained momentum this year during the presidential campaign, but the attention of the media and opinions in all Arab countries was quickly diverted on October 7 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 the prices of certain basic foods are increasing every week.
Two thirds of Egypt’s population live below or just above the poverty line.
Many Egyptians who support Mr. Sissi believe that he is the architect of the return to calm in the country after the chaos following the “revolution” of 2011 during the Arab Spring and the fall of Hosni Mubarak after 30 years of rule .
From the start of his first term in 2014, Mr. Sissi promised to bring stability, including economic stability.
An ambitious but painful reform program, with devaluations and reductions in state subsidies, has been undertaken since 2016.
Measures which led to a surge in prices, fueled popular discontent and saw Mr. Sissi’s popular base and even foreign support decline over the years.
His economic management has seen the debt tripled, and the megaprojects often attributed to the army have so far not produced the promised returns.
The presidential election was initially scheduled for spring 2024 but President Sissi was determined to secure a third term before proceeding with the new devaluation, given the impact on Egyptians’ purchasing power and potential discontent, according to experts.
Most goods are imported, and a severe shortage of foreign currency has caused the parallel market to explode, pushing consumer prices even higher and eating into family savings.