Egypt’s al-Sisi secures third term with 89.6 percent of vote: Election authority

Shafaq News/ Abdel Fattah al-Sisi secured a third term as Egypt’s president winning 89.6 percent of the vote, the National Elections Authority said on Monday.

The election featured three other candidates, none of them high profile. The most prominent potential challenger halted his run in October, saying officials and thugs had targeted his supporters - accusations dismissed by the National Election Authority.

Sisi, a former general, has overseen a sweeping crackdown on dissent across the political spectrum since leading the 2013 overthrow of Egypt's first democratically elected leader, Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood.

He was elected to the presidency in 2014, and re-elected in 2018, both times with 97% of the vote. The constitution was amended in 2019, extending the presidential term to six years from four, and allowing Sisi to stand for a third term.

Authorities have sought to address criticism of Egypt's human rights record with steps including by opening a national dialogue and releasing some prominent prisoners, steps that critics have dismissed as largely cosmetic.

Many Egyptians expressed indifference about the election, saying the result was a foregone conclusion.

Egypt's state media body has said the vote was a step towards political pluralism and authorities have denied violations of electoral rules.