Egypt’s Sisi sweeps vote with 97 percent

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi swept to a second term with 97 percent of valid votes, official results showed Monday, dominating an election last week that saw him face no serious rivals.

The head of the election authority Lasheen Ibrahim said at a press conference that turnout was 41.05 percent of the almost 60 million registered voters, down from the 2014 vote that saw Sisi claim the presidency.

Ibrahim said 92.73 percent of the votes were valid from the roughly 24 million cast, while almost two million ballots were spoiled.

Sisi’s sole rival and erstwhile supporter, Moussa Mostafa Moussa, won 2.92 percent of the valid votes, Ibrahim said.

Moussa entered the election at the very last moment after first leading a re-election campaign for Sisi, saving the vote from having just one candidate. Sisi’s serious contenders either withdrew, were sidelined or were detained.

In a brief victory speech broadcast Monday evening on state television, Sisi sent “greetings, appreciation, and respect” to Egyptians.

He promised “to continue my oath to be loyal in my work, not sparing any effort in order to advance our nation.”

Sisi directed “thanks and appreciation to Moussa Mostafa Moussa who lead an honest and civilised competition.”

Hundreds of supporters took to the streets in Cairo and other cities, waving the Egyptian flag and singing patriotic songs to celebrate Sisi winning another four years in power.

US President Donald Trump “congratulated” Sisi on his victory in a telephone call, the White House said in a statement that did not mention any worries over the fairness of the vote.

“The two leaders affirmed the strategic partnership between the United States and Egypt, and noted that they look forward to advancing this partnership and addressing common challenges,” it said.

Earlier the State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the US “will continue to work to advance our shared objectives” with Egypt, despite its concerns over political freedom.

But Nauert added: “We have noted reports of constraints on freedoms of expression and association in the run-up to the elections.”

Sisi, who as army chief ousted Egypt’s first freely elected president Islamist Mohamed Morsi after mass street protests in 2013, won his first term in 2014 with 96.9 percent of valid votes.

Turnout of 47 percent in that year’s election was sharply higher than this year’s 41 percent despite official appeals for voters to fulfil their patriotic duty.

Sisi has embarked on tough economic reforms that have been welcomed by foreign investors but dented his standing at home, even though his popularity remains high.

Enjoying near-unanimous media support, Sisi is seen by many Egytians as the right man to lead the country after years of political, security and economic turmoil that followed the ouster of leader Hosni Mubarak in 2011.