Preliminary indicators of the results of the Presidential elections in Egypt show that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi “swept” the votes by a large margin over his closest rivals, putting him on the cusp of starting a new term that will last until 2030.
The elections were held in Egypt on Sunday, and lasted into Monday, and Tuesday of this week, amid an official celebration of the “demand” for participation, which Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly described on Wednesday as “exceeding all imaginations,” directing “salutations to the Egyptians.”
Along with Sisi (who was previously elected for two consecutive terms), three candidates participated in the elections: Farid Zahran, head of the “Egyptian Social Democratic Party,” Abdel-Sanad Yamama, head of the “Wafd Party,” and Hazem Omar, head of the “Republican People’s Party.”
Preliminary indicators reported by local media showed that Sisi won with percentages ranging from 85 to 90 percent, within most of the general committees in the governorates. According to the National Elections Authority, it has begun “receiving the minutes of the general committees that include collecting voters’ votes, as well as the electoral process papers, in preparation for collecting the votes and announcing the official final result next Monday.”
The final result of Presidential elections in Egypt
According to the announced timetable, the Commission will receive appeals against the electoral process on Thursday, December 14, and will decide on them on December 15 and 16, after which it will announce the official result on December 18.
The Egyptian newspaper “Akhbar Al-Youm” (state-owned), quoted the heads of 55 public committees as the results of counting the votes of voters, in which Al-Sisi received 6 million, 682 thousand, and 114 votes, while Omar received 284,054 votes, Zahran received 217,892 votes, and Yamama received 208,648 votes.
Dr. Ayman Abdel Wahab, Deputy Director of Al-Ahram Center for Political Studies, believes that “Sisi’s victory in a sweeping victory is expected,” and he told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Since the beginning of the elections, there has been a great awareness that the battle has been decided in favor of President Sisi, and this expectation has formed fears that It leads to weak turnout, considering (the result is settled), but the opposite happened, and the turnout increased.”
Abdel Wahab attributed Al-Sisi’s “sweep” to several factors: Among them is “his military background and its connection to the threats surrounding Egypt and their increase due to the Gaza War, as well as the development projects implemented by the state that need to be completed, in addition to the weakness of competitors and their inability to present an alternative political vision.”
On the other hand, Professor of Political Science at Cairo University, Dr. Mustafa Kamel Al-Sayed, believes that the principle of “winning by a sweep” is something that gives “negative impressions about the elections.” He told Asharq Al-Awsat that “the difference in the number of votes between the winning president and the rest of the candidates, according to indicators, is expected to Be large, which gives the impression of a lack of competition.”
Preliminary results reveal intense competition
According to announced indicators, there is a qualitative competition for second place – far from the presidential position – between the oppositionist Farid Zahran and Hazem Omar, who heads one of the pro-Sisi parties, while Abdel-Sanad Yamama comes in last place (according to unofficial results).
Abdel-Wahab considers the competition of Zahran and Omar for second place, with Yamama’s decline, “a realistic expression of the parties’ weakness,” explaining that “internal disputes in the (Wafd) party, and the objection of some party leaders to Yamama’s candidacy, affected support for the candidate during the elections.”
While Dr. Kamel Al-Sayyid expects “that there will be questions and dis
cussions within the (Wafd) party, if Yamama comes in last place.”
Al-Wafd is one of the oldest Egyptian parties. Its founding dates back to 1919 under the leadership of leader Saad Zaghloul.
For his part, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said, during the government meeting on Wednesday, that “the spectacle of the presidential elections exceeds any preconceived notions or expectations,” adding that “if the great Egyptian people feel any challenges or threats, they are keen to line up behind their homeland and preserve… “His capabilities,” referring to the Gaza war and its impact on participation.
According to the head of the General Information Service, Diaa Rashwan, “the participation rate in the elections may reach 62 percent of the total number of people registered in the voter database (67 million voters).” He added during television statements, “The participation rate in these elections exceeds the participation in previous times.”
Unprecedented turnout in Egypt
The presidential elections witnessed an unprecedented turnout, according to Counselor Hazem Badawi, head of the National Elections Authority, pointing out that the electoral process went satisfactorily and smoothly.
Badawi also added that the participation rate reached 45% of those entitled to vote, “and this percentage has never happened before in any electoral elections or referendums.”
The number of those entitled to vote is about 67 million voters, according to the voter database, in the process is conducted under the supervision of about 15,000 judges from various judicial authorities and bodies, who supervise 11,631 sub-polling committees.
It is noteworthy that the Egyptian presidential elections began on December 10 and continued for 3 days, ending yesterday (Tuesday) and the final results are scheduled to be announced on December 18.
