After three days of voting, Egypt concluded this Tuesday presidential election almost certainly the current president and former marshal Abdel Fattah el-Sisi He will likely be re-elected for a third six-year term after the results are announced on the 18th.
Observers and analysts point out that in the absence of real competition between the four candidates, the only important data from these elections will be Sisi’s voter turnout and percentage of victory, reinforced by the threat of electoral expansion. The war in the Gaza Strip.
Just as these elections were marked by the fear of the possible migration of Palestinians to Egypt, they were also marked by the general dissatisfaction of the population in the face of the serious economic crisis that the country was going through. official inflation is almost 40% and the loss of more than half of the Egyptian pound.
And when El Sisi took the reins of the country 2013 coupForeign debt has accumulated to just over $43 billion and now exceeds $160 billion, largely due to the construction of infrastructure megaprojects; This is something that did not go unnoticed among the Egyptians.
These elections were originally planned for 2024, but were brought forward in view of the harsh and unpopular measures the Government would have to take to alleviate the crisis and comply with EU requirements. International Monetary Fund.
“Our hands are tied, only God can intervene to solve this,” he assured EFE. Widad MuhammadA 73-year-old woman from a polling station in central Cairo. Sohia Gomaa, El Sisi, 70, stated that he “cannot resolve the situation due to the accumulation of foreign debt.”
“Unprecedented” attendance
These elections were the first elections in which four candidates from different segments competed since El Sisi came to power. “The state’s serious path towards democratic transformation, partisan pluralism and political competitiveness”, according to officials.
But the other three candidates for the Egyptian Presidency are mostly unknown to the public, so participation has become the most important indicator of the process, and so have the officials themselves. There were many calls to go to the polls.
Up to the present, National Electoral Authority (ANE) It put turnout at 45%, surpassing the 2018 election (41%) in which the current president defeated his only opponent with 97% of the vote in a process that was deemed a farce by the opposition and human rights organizations.
these years They did not remain undisputed either, Because observer teams consisting of two of Al Sisi’s candidates assured EFE that parties linked to the president were “bribing” people with money and food to go to polling stations, among other irregularities already recorded in previous elections.
“A historic result that Egypt has never witnessed before is expected.” “This shows the conscience of the citizens,” said ANE Executive Director Ahmed Bendari, at the press conference he held today, adding that he did not receive any complaints or recorded any significant irregularities during the three-day voting.
Undisputed favorite Al Sisi
Inside 2017The current president has assured that he will only stay in power for two terms, but 2019 He supported a controversial Constitutional reform to stay in power. 2030Initially, he will no longer be able to run for office in the elections.
According to organizations such as Amnesty International, the last decade has been one of oppression in Egypt. Human Rights Watch It is estimated that approximately 60,000 people, including members of the opposition, have been detained for political reasons since El Sisi came to power.
Similarly, numerous NGOs and opposition groups this year condemned the campaign against a popular Presidential candidate, who said:obstacles“and after being spied on by Egyptian officials.
However, the war in Gaza strengthened El Sisi. only candidate voted By dozens of people consulted by EFE during the three-day elections in Cairo.
“Egypt needs someone to defend itself”Mahmud Hasan, 50, told EFE from a ballot box in Giza.