Egypt Election: President El Sisi Claims Victory for a 3rd Term
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Roshan Amiri
- . December 19, 2023
- . Update: December 19, 2023 12:41 pm
President Abdel Fattah El Sisi is set to rule Egypt for a third consecutive term after winning the presidential election with 89.6 percent of the votes. He thanked the people for voting during the delicate circumstances, notably the war on Egypt’s borders.
“I renew my pledge to you to continue building the new republic that we are all working to build, a democratic state that protects all its citizens, based on science and technology, and preserve its identity and culture, seeks to provide them with a decent life and possesses the military, political capabilities to preserve national security.”
El Sisi called on the Egyptians to work together for the country. “With the strength of its people and their national alignment, always and forever: Long live Egypt…Long live Egypt…Long live Egypt.”
Egypt Unprecedented Voting Rates
Ahmed Bandari, Director of the Executive Body of Egypt’s NEA, commended the people of Egypt for turning up in huge numbers to vote. He said the 2024 Egypt’s election was a great example of elections that showed political and constitutional awareness.
The head of Egypt’s National Elections Authority Hazem Badawi said they witnessed distinctive phenomena that included the participation of all segments of the society in the elections, highest voting percentage in the history of Egypt, no violations in the electoral process, and the diversity in the candidates and their programs.
The NEA said an unprecedented 66.8 percent of Egypt’s 67 million eligible voters had come to the polls, compared to 2018 which saw a turnout of about 41 percent wherein El Sisi won 97 percent of the vote.
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El Sisi Had No Competition
El Sisi sealing a third term in office doesn’t come as a surprise because there were no strong candidates or opposition to challenge him. However, Dr Mustapha Kamel Al-Sayyid, political scientists at Cairo University, says the rules of open and free elections do not apply here. He explained that the election was not really competitive.
“Three other candidates did not have the same resources El Sisi has. He had the machinery of the state completely behind him. In one way or another, he also had the support of major business groups in the country.”
Al-Sayyid added that some people voted for El Sisi because they thought the country is facing a dangerous situation (Gaza war), and in this situation, it is good to have someone who has the support of the military and the experience of running the country.
