Polls close after three-day Egypt presidential vote
Proof of voting: an Egyptian woman stains her thumb with ink after voting in Cairo
Cairo – Polling closed on Tuesday in Egypt after a three-day election widely expected to return sitting president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to power in the Arab world’s most populous country.
Government newspaper Al-Ahram reported that the National Elections Authority, which is responsible for organising the poll, recorded an “unprecedented” turnout.
Polling stations closed their doors at 9:00 pm (1900 GMT), and the results will be announced on Monday.
Sisi is expected to win by a landslide, despite Egypt being gripped by various crises including the Israel-Hamas war in neighbouring Gaza and the country’s worst-ever economic crisis.
The former army chief is running against three relative unknowns: Farid Zahran, leader of the left-leaning Egyptian Social Democratic Party; Abdel-Sanad Yamama, from the Wafd, a century-old but relatively marginal party; and Hazem Omar, from the Republican People’s Party.
For most Egyptians, who have had their savings slashed in an unrelenting economic crisis that started early last year, the cost of living is their top priority.
Annual inflation currently stands at 38.5 percent, with the import-dependent economy suffering severe foreign currency shortages after the Egyptian pound lost half its value in a year.
This election would secure Sisi’s third — and, according to the constitution, final — term in office.