Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi secured a new six-year term with an overwhelming 89.6 percent of the vote.

The election authority announced the result on Monday, December 18, 2023.

The voter turnout was deemed “unprecedented”, reaching 66.8 percent, as stated by authority head Hazem Badawy.

More than 39 million voters cast their ballots for Sisi, a former army chief who has been in power, ruling the most populous Arab country, for a decade. The election, held between December 10 and 12, featured Sisi against three relatively unknown candidates.

Hazem Omar, leading the Republican People’s Party, emerged as the runner-up with 4.5 percent of the vote. Following him were Farid Zahran, leader of the left-leaning Egyptian Social Democratic Party, and Abdel-Sanad Yamama from the Wafd, a century-old but relatively marginal party.

This victory marks Sisi’s third and final term in office, according to the constitution, set to commence in April. Despite Egypt facing its worst-ever economic crisis and heightened tensions surrounding the Israel-Hamas war in neighboring Gaza, Sisi’s win did not come as a surprise.

The country is grappling with a plunging currency, an annual inflation rate of 36.4 percent, and rising prices of essential food items, exacerbating household budget challenges.

Even before the current economic crisis, about two-thirds of Egypt’s population, nearly 106 million people, lived on or below the poverty line.

Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s win was widely expected, and there were no surprises in the election results. However, discontent has been growing among the Egyptian people due to the country’s economic struggles.
The inflation rate in Egypt is at a record high. The Egyptian pound has lost more than 50% of its value against the US dollar in the past nine months, and the prices of basic commodities have skyrocketed beyond the reach of many households.
Sisi has also been a key player in the Israel-Hamas war, which is currently raging at the border of Egypt. The situation in the region is tense, and it remains to be seen how Sisi’s third term will affect the ongoing conflict and the region as a whole.