New Delhi: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has secured a third term in the Arab world’s most populous nation, officials said. Sisi won 89.6 percent of the vote, the National Elections Authority said on Monday.
The outcome secured 69-year-old Abdel Fattah al-Sisi his third and final term in office, according to the Egyptian constitution. His term will start in April and is set to run for six years, reported AFP.
Taking to social media platform X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Sisi for his landslide victory in the elections and said he looks forward to working with him to further deepen the India-Egypt strategic partnership.
“Warm congratulations, Excellency @AlsisiOfficial on your victory in the Presidential elections. Look forward to working with you to further deepen India-Egypt Strategic Partnership,” the prime minister said.
Warm congratulations, Excellency @AlsisiOfficial on your victory in the Presidential elections. Look forward to working with you to further deepen India-Egypt Strategic Partnership.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 18, 2023
The result of the December 10-12 poll was widely expected after the former army chief campaigned against a small field of relative unknowns.
His victory comes despite a painful economic crisis, marked by a currency plunge and runaway household prices, and heightened regional tensions sparked by the Israel-Hamas war in neighbouring Gaza, AFP reported.
Notable, a decade-long crackdown on dissent had eliminated any serious competition for Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Egypt’s fifth president to emerge from within the ranks of the military since 1952.
It was the third time in a decade Abdel Fattah al-Sisi won a landslide victory, albeit with his smallest margin. In both 2014 and 2018, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi won over 96 percent of the vote.
The election was initially expected in the spring of 2024. However, experts have said Abdel Fattah al-Sisi wanted to secure a third term before enacting another widely expected currency devaluation that is expected to fuel public discontent, reported AFP.