Voting commences in Egypt in election likely to give Sisi another term in office
Voting commenced in Egypt on Sunday in a presidential election overshadowed by the conflict in neighbouring Gaza and with little doubt that incumbent Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will win a third term.
The economy remains the key focus among the citizens as the country faces the most severe financial crisis in its recent history, with inflation staying above 40% after the local currency lost half its value, driving up import costs.
Over two-thirds of the country’s nearly 106 million inhabitants lived on or around the poverty line before the current crisis.
Voting will take place from Sunday until Tuesday, between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. (0700–1900 GMT) each day, with the official results announced on December 18.
About 67 million citizens are eligible to vote, and all eyes will be on turnout after successive previous elections mustered low participation figures.
President Sisi is the fifth president to emerge from within the ranks of the military since 1952 and has been accused of cracking down on the opposition, therefore eliminating any serious opposition to contest against the president.
Meanwhile, Egyptians have given little attention to electoral campaigns that have taken place in the shadow of the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas.
Most observers envisage another victory for Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who was announced the winner of the previous two presidential elections with 97% of the votes, in 2014 and 2018.
