Egypt’s Sissi wins second term with 92% of vote, but only 41.5% turnout

President’s sole challenger was little-known supporter, who registered late, saving discredited election from being a still more embarrassing one-horse race

In this photo provided by Egypt's state news agency, MENA, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi votes in Cairo, Egypt, March 27, 2018. (MENA via AP)
In this photo provided by Egypt's state news agency, MENA, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi votes in Cairo, Egypt, March 27, 2018. (MENA via AP)

CAIRO (AFP) — Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has been re-elected for a second term with about 92 percent of the vote, preliminary results showed on Thursday, with just over 40% of voters casting ballots.

Twenty-five million of the 60 million registered voters, or some 41.5%, turned out during the three days of polling that ended Wednesday, state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram reported. Twenty-three million voted for Sissi.

The Akhbar el-Youm newspaper did not report the full turnout but said Sissi won 21.4 million votes, and his rival Moussa Mostafa Moussa 721,000 votes, without mentioning the number of spoiled ballots.

According to Al-Ahram, in addition to 23 million who cast valid votes, two million spoiled their ballot papers.

Sissi’s sole challenger was the little-known Moussa, himself a supporter of the president, who registered immediately before the close date for applications, saving the election from being a one-horse race.

Voters at a polling station during the presidential in Cairo, Egypt, March 27, 2018. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)

Moussa conceded his loss on Wednesday night, telling a television station he had hoped for 10% of the vote.

“But I know the immense popularity of President Sissi,” he said.

Other, more heavy-weight would-be challengers were all sidelined, detained or pulled out.

Sissi, 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% of the vote.

Turnout down from 2014

Turnout of 47% in that year’s election was sharply higher than this year’s 40% despite appeals from Prime Minister Sherif Ismail for voters to fulfil their patriotic duty.

Sissi had praised the turn out.

“The vote by masses of Egypt will remain a testament, no doubt, that our nation’s will imposes itself with strength and knows no weakness,” Sissi said on his Twitter account late Wednesday.

Boycotters who cannot show good reason for not going to the polls could a face a fine of up to 500 Egyptian pounds (22 euros), the electoral commission has warned.

People travel on a public bus under an election banner for Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi with Arabic that reads, “you are the hope,” in Cairo, Egypt, March 28, 2018. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)

At a news conference, election commission official, Mahmud al-Sherif, said there had been no violations of Egypt’s election law.

Opposition groups had called for a boycott of this week’s vote which they labelled a facade.

There were no presidential debates and Sissi himself did not appear at any official campaign events, although he spoke at a number of ceremonies.

In an interview days ahead of the vote, Sissi said he had wished there were more candidates, denying any role in sidelining them.

At a speech before the vote he also called for a high turnout.

“I need you because the journey is not over,” Sissi told a mostly female audience. “I need every lady and mother and sister, please, I need the entire world to see us in the street” voting.

Morsi’s removal had ushered in a deadly crackdown that killed and jailed hundreds of Islamists.

The initial crackdown on Morsi’s supporters expanded to include liberal and leftist secular activists.

In this March 15, 2018 photo provided by Egypt’s state news agency, MENA,Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi holds a child at an education seminar in Cairo, Egypt. (MENA via AP)

A jihadist insurgency since has killed hundreds of policemen and civilians.

Sissi gave the armed forces and police a three-month deadline in November to wipe out the Islamic State group in its Sinai Peninsula stronghold.

The deadline has since been extended, and on February 9 the armed forces launched their most comprehensive campaign yet to end the five-year-old jihadist insurgency.

But attacks by the jihadists have continued.

On Saturday, two policemen were killed in a car bomb targeting the provincial head of security for the Mediterranean city of Alexandria. The security chief was unharmed.

Egyptian cities, especially Cairo, have been flooded with banners showing Sissi and messages of support from business owners. Posters vowing support for Moussa, 65, are rarely seen.

While still popular, Sissi has embarked on tough economic reforms that have been welcomed by foreign investors but dented his popularity at home.

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