Egypt’s El-Sisi cruises toward victory as vote count begins

CAIRO: Egyptians cast their ballots on Tuesday, the third and final day of a presidential election expected to give President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi a sweeping victory and a new six-year term in the absence of real competition.

Egypt’s National Elections Authority (NEA) announced that voting for the 2024 Presidential Elections came to a close Tuesday evening, and the vote count has commenced.

Polling stations that finished their tasks have already begun sorting ballots after polls closed at 9 p.m. (1900 GMT). Each sub-committee will announce a detailed breakdown of the votes in statistical reports. The election results are due to be announced on Dec. 18.

Many Egyptians have shown little interest in the election, saying they believe that voting will make little difference, although authorities and commentators on tightly controlled local media continued urging them to cast ballots out of national duty.
The election featured three other low-profile candidates. The most prominent potential challenger halted his run in October, saying officials and thugs had targeted his supporters — accusations dismissed by the NEA.
The government’s media body has said the vote was a step toward political pluralism and authorities have denied violations of electoral rules.
Authorities have sought to address criticism of its record with steps including opening a national dialogue and releasing some prominent prisoners.
El-Sisi says stability and security are paramount, a message that resonated with some voters that spoke to Reuters at a time when Egypt is faced with two wars on its borders, in the Gaza Strip and Sudan.
On Monday, the NEA said turnout on the first two days of voting had reached about 45 percent, surpassing that of the last presidential election in 2018. 

(with Reuters)