Egypt: President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi wins third six-year term with nearly 90% votes

Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has won a third six-year term with 89.6% of the vote, according to the election commission.

The former army leader trounced three low-profile contenders, with the runner-up receiving only 4.5% of the vote.

Ahmed Tantawy, the leading opposition candidate, had withdrawn months before the election, claiming intimidation and violence against his campaign team.

Egypt’s struggling economy and the Gaza war were among the main talking points.

“Egyptians lined up to vote not just to choose their president for the next term, but to express their rejection of this inhumane war to the entire world,” Sisi said in a speech soon after the results were announced.

He said Egypt is doing everything possible to stop the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, describing it as his country’s primary challenge.

Egyptian opposition groups, however, say they were unable to operate efficiently as a result of the government’s ongoing crackdown on dissent.

Human rights activists are particularly upset about the tight security constraints. They argue that it is becoming more difficult to document such violations.

The charges are denied by Egyptian authorities.

Mr. Sisi was elected president for the first time in 2014, a year after leading the military coup that deposed his Islamist predecessor, Mohammed Morsi.

He was re-elected in 2018. His victory in last week’s election ensures that he will remain in power until 2030 when he is outlawed from standing again under the constitution.