Egypt's Election Commission: Sisi Wins with 97% of Votes

According to the official results of the Egyptian presidential election announced on Monday, Abdel Fattah Sisi won with 97% of the votes, the same percentage he received in the previous election. Despite extensive government efforts to encourage voter turnout, the participation rate among eligible voters was around 41%. The counting of the first votes, which began on Wednesday after the voting ended, confirmed Mr. Sisi's sweeping victory. Only one other candidate participated in this election, who is a staunch supporter of Mr. Sisi, while opposition candidates halted their electoral activities in January. The main rival was arrested, and his campaign manager was beaten, while other candidates were pressured and harassed out of the electoral competition. Mr. Sisi stated that he wished for more candidates to participate and claimed he did not interfere in their withdrawal from the race. The Egyptian Election Commission declared that the voting was free and fair, announcing the results on television on Monday. The low voter turnout could potentially be seen as a failure for Mr. Sisi, who had stated before the election that it was more than just an election, but a referendum on his presidency. Voter turnout in the 2014 election and Mr. Sisi's first presidential term was 47%. State media portrayed abstaining from voting as a betrayal to Egypt. According to domestic and international media, some voters claimed they participated in the voting due to incentives such as cash or food, but did not specify who provided these incentives. The government stated that if such incidents occurred, they were not supported by the state and were very few in number. Reuters adds that critics of Abdel Fattah Sisi argue that difficult economic reforms, which have negatively impacted many Egyptians, and the widespread repression of opposition and critics over the past four years have diminished the popularity of the former army commander. However, his supporters argue that these reforms were necessary for the stability of the economy and the country, which has been in turmoil since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak's regime in 2011 and is also facing an armed insurgency from the Islamic State group in the Sinai region. In 2013, after widespread protests against the government of Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's first elected president from the Muslim Brotherhood, Mr. Sisi, as commander of the armed forces, ousted Morsi's government and won the presidential election in 2014 with 97% of the votes. The United Nations expressed concern about the repression of opposition and critics, including media, in the weeks leading up to the election. Western and regional allies of Abdel Fattah Sisi's government have remained silent regarding reports of human rights violations in Egypt. The U.S. Embassy in Cairo, during the voting last week, tweeted that "the enthusiasm and patriotism of the Egyptian people is remarkable." The Russian government congratulated Abdel Fattah Sisi on his victory even before the official election results were announced.