Tom King, BA Politics
Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has secured at least 96% of the vote in Egypt’s presidential election, according to state media.
Sisi, a former military officer, played a leading role in the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood’s President Morsi last year. He faced just one other candidate – Hamdeen Sabahi – in the vote, the results of which many believed were a foregone conclusion. Sabahi received just 3.9% of the vote.
Despite voting being extended for a third day, provisional figures put turnout at 46%; far below the figure Sisi had hoped would endorse him. The Muslim Brotherhood and many other Islamist and secular groups boycotted the poll.
Sabahi has conceded defeat, saying “I accept my defeat and respect the people’s choice” but he has challenged the turnout figure saying it is an “insult to the intelligence of Egyptians” and made accusations of a number of violations in the voting process. The head of the Construction and Development party described the election as “a theatrical play which convinced no-one”.
Since President Morsi was removed from office last year, Sisi has overseen the killing of at least 1,400 people and detaining 16,000 others in a brutal crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood.