Egyptians Head to the Polls Today; Three-Day Election Amid Gaza War

Egyptians went to the polls on Sunday for the presidential election in which Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is poised to win for a third time, as the country grapples with an economic crisis and war on its border with Gaza. According to Reuters, a victory in the election will grant el-Sisi a six-year term to address immediate priorities including curbing nearly unprecedented inflation, managing a chronic shortage of foreign currency, and preventing the spread of conflict between Israel and Hamas militants to other areas. Voting, which runs from 9 AM to 9 PM local time over three days, will see results announced on December 18. As voting began on Sunday morning, a small crowd gathered at polling stations in Cairo, where images of el-Sisi had proliferated in the weeks leading up to the election. Riot police were deployed at the entrances to Tahrir Square in the capital. Critics deem the elections a sham after a decade of suppressing dissent. However, state-affiliated media have described it as a step towards political pluralism. The three candidates deemed 'qualified to compete' against el-Sisi are not prominent figures. The most notable potential rival halted his campaign in October, claiming that officials and 'thugs' targeted his supporters—allegations denied by national election officials. Local media officials and commentators, heavily controlled by the government, are encouraging Egyptians to vote, although some citizens reported being unaware of the election until just days prior. Others stated that voting would not make much difference. As army chief, el-Sisi ousted Egypt's first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, in 2013, before being elected president the following year with 97% of the vote. Since then, he has overseen a crackdown involving liberal, leftist, and Islamist activists. Human rights groups say tens of thousands have been imprisoned during this period. El-Sisi and his supporters argue that this crackdown was necessary to establish stability in Egypt and combat Islamist extremism. He has positioned himself as a bulwark of stability, while Egypt faces unrest along its borders with Libya and earlier this year in Sudan and currently in Gaza. El-Sisi was again elected in 2018 with 97% of the vote.