In a result that comes as no shock to Egyptians and the rest of the world, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has won the presidential elections with 97 percent of the votes, final results showed, securing another four-year term.

The elections were criticised as a one-man show with no credible opposition, as at least six other candidates pulled out, were prosecuted, or jailed.

Announcing the final results on Monday, Egypt’s election commission said there had been a 41.5 percent turnout, lower than the 47 percent in the 2014 election.

The only other opponent who ran against el-Sisi was little-known Mousa Mostafa Mousa, who entered the race hours before the deadline and whose party had previously endorsed el-Sisi.

Preliminary results released on Thursday showed that Mousa had received just three percent of the vote, and according to The Economist, came in third place after more than one million people spoiled their ballot papers.

Some had crossed out the names of the two candidates and added the name of popular Liverpool and Egyptian national football player, Mohamed Salah, reportedly giving him twice as many votes as Mousa.

Yet the results were revised the next day to suggest that there were no spoiled ballots.

“The elections were a joke and a complete fabrication,” Sarah Yerkes, a fellow at the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told Al Jazeera. “They are not really a meaningful marker for the country.”

El-Sisi’s first term in office, which he won after the military removed then-President Mohamed Morsi from power, was characterised by promises he failed to deliver on, such as eradicating “terrorism” and improving the country’s economy.

Gulf countries, most notably Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, pumped billions of dollars of investments into Egypt when el-Sisi first took office, but that was paralleled by “unprecedented levels” of suppression, James Gelvin, professor of Modern Middle East History at the University of California, Los Angeles, told Al Jazeera.

“The quick infusion of cash did nothing to alleviate the Egyptian economic crisis in the long term, which is the result of poor economic planning, cronyism, and demographic explosion,” he said.

The economic crisis in Egypt will be el-Sisi’s priority during his second term in office, at the cost of plunging the population into further misery, Galvin said.

The professor cited a number of factors that currently afflict the economy, saying they will likely worsen, such as high unemployment rates, the curtailment of food and fuel, unprecedented income inequality, and plutocratic rule.

“In a world in which neoliberal economic policies are the sole prescription for national economies in crisis, there is only further pain in store for Egyptians,” he said.

“When [former presidents] Sadat and Mubarak attempted to impose neoliberal polices, popular revolt – called IMF riots – ensued,” he said.

“Under these circumstances, Sisi will undoubtedly continue the harsh repression, probably citing the threat of terrorism as the reason.”

The 63-year-old former commander-in-chief of the armed forces maintains a loyal base of supporters, who view him favourably as a force for stability rather than democracy.

“No one believes he is a democrat,” Sarah Yerkes said. “Rather, many Egyptians are happy to sacrifice democracy if it means greater economic performance, stability, and security.

“The problem with that argument,” she added, “is that Egypt’s economy and security situation have both deteriorated under Sisi’s authoritarian rule – not improved.”

According to Gelvin, Sisi relies on continued support from the “deep state” – which includes the military, the bureaucracy and the judiciary – and its supporters.

Furthermore, the president’s influence is not just contingent upon domestic support but depends on regional and international support that hinges on maintaining the status quo in the region – most notably from Saudi Arabia and the United States.

“Sisi will stay in power so long as the deep state wields the influence it does, and he continues to cow the remainder of the population,” Gelvin said.</s>Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has been re-elected with 97 per cent of the vote, official results show.

That's the same proportion the former military commander secured four years ago for his first term, but voter turnout was lower this time around at 41 per cent.

The reduced participation from Egyptians came despite efforts to get as many as possible to polling stations during last week's vote.

Mr Sisi had been virtually guaranteed a landslide win, confirmed by early tallies as voting ended on Wednesday.

The election featured only one other candidate — himself an ardent supporter of Mr Sisi — after all serious opposition contenders halted their campaigns in January.

The main challenger was arrested and his campaign manager beaten up, while other presidential hopefuls pulled out citing intimidation.

Mr Sisi said he wanted more candidates to run and that he had nothing to do with the opposition withdrawals.

The election commission said the vote was free and fair as it gave the results in a televised announcement on Monday.

The lower turnout is a potential setback for Mr Sisi, who suggested before the vote that he saw it as a referendum on his presidency rather than a genuine contest.

State media portrayed failure to vote as a betrayal of Egypt.

Turnout in the 2014 vote that won him his first term was 47 per cent, six points higher than last week.

Critics say Mr Sisi's popularity has been eroded amid tough economic reforms that have left most Egyptians worse off and also by an unprecedented crackdown on dissent.

His supporters say those measures are needed to stabilise the country as it faces a stubborn Islamic State insurgency in the northern Sinai Peninsula and which was rocked by unrest after a 2011 uprising that ousted veteran leader Hosni Mubarak.

Mr Sisi, a former general, led the 2013 military overthrow of Egypt's first freely elected president, Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood, after protests against him.

Mr Sisi swept to victory in an election a year later with 97 per cent of the vote.

The United Nations expressed concern over the crackdown on dissent, including on media, which took place before last week's vote.

Mr Sisi's main Western and regional allies have been mostly silent over alleged human rights abuses in Egypt.

During voting last week, the US embassy in Cairo said on Twitter it was "impressed by the enthusiasm and patriotism of Egyptian voters".

Russia congratulated Mr Sisi on his election win ahead of the official results and regional ally King Salman of Saudi Arabia called him to express support, saying his victory came as a result of strong efforts to combat terrorism.</s>Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has been reelected as Egyptian president with 97 percent of the vote, according to official results published on Monday. The former military commander secured the same proportion four years ago for his first term, Reuters said. The turnout this year was lower at 41 percent. Sisi had been virtually guaranteed a landslide win, confirmed by early tallies as voting ended on Wednesday. There was only one other candidate – himself an ardent Sisi supporter – after the main challenger was arrested and other contenders halted their campaigns in January. Sisi said he had wanted more candidates to run and that he had had nothing to do with the opposition withdrawals. The president suggested before the vote that he saw it as a referendum on his presidency rather than a genuine contest.</s>Egypt's president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has won a second term with 97% of the vote and 41% of voter turnout after facing no serious challenge, according to the election committee.Egyptians cast their ballots electing the new head of state from March 26-28.Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, a former military commander, became Egyptian president in 2014 and has now been re-elected to another four-year term.According to local media, Sisi's rival Moussa Mustafa Moussa is a distant second with only 721,000 votes or 3% support in the country.A total of 60 million Egyptians were eligible to vote in the three-day election, which started on Monday.</s>Almost 100% Egyptians have given about 22 million votes for incumbent president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi with a 41.05 percent voter turnout, Egypt's election commission announced.

Egyptians cast their ballots electing the new head of state from March 26-28.

Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, a former military commander, became Egyptian president in 2014 and has now been re-elected to another four-year term.

​According to local media, Sisi's rival Moussa Mustafa Moussa is a distant second with only 721,000 votes or 3% support in the country.

READ MORE: Egypt's Sisi Re-Elected as President With More Than 90% of Votes — Reports

A total of 60 million Egyptians were eligible to vote in the three-day election, which started on Monday.</s>Egypt's National Elections Authority (NEA) has declared Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi the winner of the nation's 2018 presidential elections, securing a second four-year term after winning 21,835,378 votes or 97.08 percent of valid votes.

At a press conference in Cairo on Monday, the NEA said that 24,254,152 citizens voted in the elections at home and abroad, out of near 59 million eligible voters, representing a turnout of 41.5 percent.

The NEA said that Ghad Party chief Moussa Mostafa Moussa, El-Sisi's sole opponent in the elections, won 656,534 votes or 2.92 percent of total votes

The authority said the number of invalid ballots was 1,762,231 or 7.27 percent of total votes cast.

Egyptians voted in 13,706 polling stations across all 27 governorates, said the NEA, with more than 18,808 judges and 124,000 administrative staff supervising the process.

Voting in Egypt took place between 26 and 28 March, with Egyptians abroad voting from 16 to 18 March, at Egyptian embassies and consulates in more than 120 countries.

'No complaints'

The NEA said it had not received any complaints about the elections process from the campaigns of either candidate, with no significant violations reported.

At total of 54 local and international organizations, including African Union observers and the Arab League, observed the process, reporting no violations of procedure, said the NEA.

On the third day of the vote at home, the authority announced it would be enforcing a fine of EGP 500 on those who failed to vote in the elections, as per the 2014 presidential elections law.

More than 18,000 judges and around 120,000 administrative staff supervised the vote.

The vote was secured by tens of thousands of police and army personnel.

Four more years

This is the second presidential term for Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, now aged 64, who has held office since winning elections in 2014.

He became the sixth president of the republic in May of that year after winning 23.78 million votes (96.91 percent) against his Nasserist opponent Hamdeen Sabahi.

Egypt's 2014 constitution limits presidents to two four-year terms.

El-Sisi is due to be sworn in at the House of Representatives in Cairo in June, as per constitutional guidelines, according to the Egyptian parliament's spokeperson.

In 2014, El-Sisi was sworn in at the Supreme Constitutional Court due to the absence of an elected parliament at the time.

A life of service

The father of four, El-Sisi graduated from Egypt's Military Academy in 1977 as an officer in the Egyptian army.

His previous posts include a spell as a defence attaché in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He also took up command positions in the Sinai Peninsula and Egypt's second-biggest city, Alexandria.

El-Sisi was a fellow at the US Army War College in Pennsylvania in 2005-2006.

He was appointed as the head of Egyptian military intelligence in January 2010.

A year later, he became the youngest member of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), which ruled the country following the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak in the January 2011 uprising.

In August 2012, then-President Mohamed Morsi appointed El-Sisi as minister of defence.

In July 2013, the Islamist president Morsi was ousted from power following mass protests against his rule that were backed by the army and various Egyptian political forces.

In March 2014, El-Sisi resigned from his post as minister of defense and ran for presidency.

El-Sisi is married to his maternal cousin Entissar Amer.

Short link:

</s>In a result that comes as no shock to Egyptians and the rest of the world, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has won the presidential elections with 97 percent of the votes, final results showed, securing another four-year term.

The elections were criticised as a one-man show with no credible opposition, as at least six other candidates pulled out, were prosecuted, or jailed.

Announcing the final results on Monday, Egypt's election commission said there had been a 41.5 percent turnout, lower than the 47 percent in the 2014 election.

The only other opponent who ran against el-Sisi was little-known Mousa Mostafa Mousa, who entered the race hours before the deadline and whose party had previously endorsed el-Sisi.

Preliminary results released on Thursday showed that Mousa had received just three percent of the vote, and according to The Economist, came in third place after more than one million people spoiled their ballot papers.

Some had crossed out the names of the two candidates and added the name of popular Liverpool and Egyptian national football player, Mohamed Salah, reportedly giving him twice as many votes as Mousa.

Yet the results were revised the next day to suggest that there were no spoiled ballots.

"The elections were a joke and a complete fabrication," Sarah Yerkes, a fellow at the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told Al Jazeera. "They are not really a meaningful marker for the country."

'Further pain in store for Egyptians'

El-Sisi's first term in office, which he won after the military removed then-President Mohamed Morsi from power, was characterised by promises he failed to deliver on, such as eradicating "terrorism" and improving the country's economy.

Gulf countries, most notably Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, pumped billions of dollars of investments into Egypt when el-Sisi first took office, but that was paralleled by "unprecedented levels" of suppression, James Gelvin, professor of Modern Middle East History at the University of California, Los Angeles, told Al Jazeera.

"The quick infusion of cash did nothing to alleviate the Egyptian economic crisis in the long term, which is the result of poor economic planning, cronyism, and demographic explosion," he said.

The economic crisis in Egypt will be el-Sisi's priority during his second term in office, at the cost of plunging the population into further misery, Galvin said.

The professor cited a number of factors that currently afflict the economy, saying they will likely worsen, such as high unemployment rates, the curtailment of food and fuel, unprecedented income inequality, and plutocratic rule.

"In a world in which neoliberal economic policies are the sole prescription for national economies in crisis, there is only further pain in store for Egyptians," he said.

"When [former presidents] Sadat and Mubarak attempted to impose neoliberal polices, popular revolt – called IMF riots - ensued," he said.

"Under these circumstances, Sisi will undoubtedly continue the harsh repression, probably citing the threat of terrorism as the reason."

The 63-year-old former commander-in-chief of the armed forces maintains a loyal base of supporters, who view him favourably as a force for stability rather than democracy.

"No one believes he is a democrat," Sarah Yerkes said. "Rather, many Egyptians are happy to sacrifice democracy if it means greater economic performance, stability, and security.

"The problem with that argument," she added, "is that Egypt's economy and security situation have both deteriorated under Sisi's authoritarian rule - not improved."

According to Gelvin, Sisi relies on continued support from the "deep state" - which includes the military, the bureaucracy and the judiciary - and its supporters.

Furthermore, the president's influence is not just contingent upon domestic support but depends on regional and international support that hinges on maintaining the status quo in the region - most notably from Saudi Arabia and the United States.

"Sisi will stay in power so long as the deep state wields the influence it does, and he continues to cow the remainder of the population," Gelvin said.</s>CAIRO - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has been re-elected with 97 percent of votes, the exact proportion that brought the former military commander his first term four years ago, Egypt's election commission announced on Monday.



However, turnout in last week's election was lower than in 2014, at 41 percent.



Sisi had long been virtually guaranteed victory after all serious opposition pulled out of the contest earlier this year.</s>Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has been re-elected with 97 percent of votes, the same proportion that the former military commander secured four years ago for his first term, official results showed on Monday.

However, turnout was lower at 41 percent, despite efforts to get as many Egyptians as possible to polling stations during last week’s vote. Sisi had been virtually guaranteed a landslide win, confirmed by early tallies as voting ended on Wednesday.

The election featured only one other candidate, himself an ardent Sisi supporter, after all serious opposition contenders halted their campaigns in January. The main challenger was arrested and his campaign manager beaten up, while other presidential hopefuls pulled out, citing intimidation.

Sisi said he had wanted more candidates to run and that he had had nothing to do with the opposition withdrawals.

The election commission said the vote was free and fair as it gave the results in a televised announcement on Monday.

The lower turnout is a potential setback for Sisi, who suggested before the vote that he saw it as a referendum on his presidency rather than a genuine contest. Turnout in the 2014 vote that won him his first term was 47 percent.

State media had portrayed failure to vote as a betrayal of Egypt. Some voters said they were offered incentives to cast their ballots including money and food, local and international media reported, but did not say who had made the offers.

Officials said that if any such incidents took place they were not state-sponsored and extremely limited.</s>CAIRO (REUTERS) - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has been re-elected with 97 per cent of votes, the same proportion that the former military commander secured four years ago for his first term, official results showed on Monday (April 2).

However, turnout was lower at 41 per cent, despite efforts to get as many Egyptians as possible to polling stations during last week's vote. Mr Sisi had been virtually guaranteed a landslide win, confirmed by early tallies as voting ended on Wednesday (March 28).

The election featured only one other candidate - himself an ardent Sisi supporter - after all serious opposition contenders halted their campaigns in January. The main challenger was arrested and his campaign manager beaten up, while other presidential hopefuls pulled out, citing intimidation.

Mr Sisi said he had wanted more candidates to run and that he had had nothing to do with the opposition withdrawals.

The election commission said the vote was free and fair as it gave the results in a televised announcement on Monday.

The lower turnout is a potential setback for Mr Sisi, who suggested before the vote that he saw it as a referendum on his presidency rather than a genuine contest. Turnout in the 2014 vote that won him his first term was 47 per cent.

State media had portrayed failure to vote as a betrayal of Egypt. Some voters said they were offered incentives to cast their ballots including money and food, local and international media reported, but did not say who had made the offers.

Officials said that if any such incidents took place they were not state-sponsored and extremely limited.

Critics say former general Sisi's popularity has eroded amid tough economic reforms, which have left most Egyptians worse off, and also an unprecedented crackdown on dissent.

His supporters say those measures are needed to stabilise the country, which faces a stubborn insurgency of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria in the northern Sinai Peninsula and which was rocked by unrest after a 2011 uprising that ousted veteran leader Hosni Mubarak.

Mr Sisi led the 2013 military overthrow of Egypt's first freely-elected president, Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood, after protests against Mursi. Mr Sisi swept to victory in an election a year later with 97 per cent of the vote.

The United Nations expressed concern over the crackdown on dissent, including media, which took place before last week's vote.

Mr Sisi's main Western and regional allies have been mostly silent over alleged human rights abuses in Egypt.

During voting last week, the US embassy in Cairo said on Twitter it was "impressed by the enthusiasm and patriotism of Egyptian voters".

Russia congratulated Mr Sisi on his election win ahead of the official results.
Incumbent Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is declared the winner, with 97% of the vote and a 41% turnout.