Egyptians to vote Monday, Sisi re-election guaranteed

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egyptians will choose their next president in elections starting Monday, with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi expected to easily secure a second four-year term.

Some 60 million people in Egypt, the most populated Arab country, are registered to vote in three days of polling on March 26, 27, and 28.

They will have the choice between the incumbent and one other candidate: Moussa Mostafa Moussa, a little-known politician who registered right before the close date for applications, saving the election from being a one-horse race.

“Moussa Mostafa Moussa has little chance of winning a significant number of votes. His campaign is weak, many people do not even know he is running, and he is generally little known,” said Mostafa Kamel al-Sayed, a political science professor at Cairo University.

In an interview broadcast on Egyptian television this week, 63-year-old Sisi said the absence of serious opponents is not his doing.

“I wish we had one, or two, or three, or 10 of the best people and you choose however you want,” said Sisi.

– ‘Result known in advance’ –

In the 2014 election, Sisi faced Hamdeen Sabbahi, an established left-wing politician much better known than Moussa. Still, Sisi won 96.9 percent of the vote.

With Sisi’s win effectively guaranteed, the authorities’ concern this year would be turnout to enhance the legitimacy of the vote. Sisi has stressed in his pre-election appearances the importance of voters turning out in large numbers.

In 2014, about 37 percent of voters participated in the two-day election, prompting authorities to add a third day to obtain a final participation rate of 47.5 percent.

It is unlikely this year that even that 37 percent will be achieved, said Sayed.

“The result is known in advance, and this does not encourage Egyptians to go out and vote,” he said.

“And there is no campaigning: The voters are not exposed to and getting familiar with the candidates’ ideas.”

During the campaign, Sisi appeared frequently on television and in newspapers, hailing factories and infrastructure projects built over the last four years.

Egyptian cities, especially Cairo, are flooded with banners featuring photographs of Sisi and messages of support from business owners. Posters vowing support for Moussa, 65, are rarely seen.