Analysts say Sisi has portrayed himself as a "bulwark of stability."
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According to CCTV News, at 9 a.m. local time on December 10, the first round of voting for the 2024 Egyptian ** election kicked off at nearly 10,000 polling stations throughout Egypt, and 4 candidates, including the incumbent **Sisi, will run for the new **.
The first round of voting will be held from December 10 to 12 local time, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day, for a total of three days. On the 18th, Egypt's National Election Commission will announce the results of the first round of voting. If a second round of voting is held, the final results will be announced by January 16 next year at the latest.
Of the four candidates, Sisi is still considered the most likely to be elected. Before the voting officially began, Sisi's profile picture had already been posted on many walls and billboards by supporters. Outside analysts say that at home, the fight against Islamic extremism during Sisi's administration has given many people a certain sense of security. In addition, Egypt has been a key interlocutor on the matter in the recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict, from which it has played a mediating role, and Sisi has also gained diplomatic significance in the international arena.
Egypt's current ** Sisi. Fig. ic photo
A total of 4 candidates participated in the ** elections.
On the morning of December 10, local time, polling stations in Cairo and other places officially opened their doors, and Egyptian patriotic songs were circulating around, waiting for about 67 million voters to choose their ** candidates for the next six years.
According to the Egyptian Constitution, the election is conducted by two rounds of voting. In the first round of balloting, if a candidate obtains a majority of the votes, he or she shall be directly elected. Otherwise, the two candidates with the most votes in the first round will proceed to the second round of voting, and the candidate with the most votes in the second round will be elected.
According to overseas network reports, in 2019, Egypt held a referendum on constitutional amendments. The most important provisions of the constitutional amendment, which was voted in a referendum, include the extension of the term of office from the current 4 years to 6 years, with the possibility to run again. The passage of the constitutional amendment means that the incumbent ** Sisi will be in power until 2030.
More than two months ago, Sisi participated in a panel called "National Stories", which was broadcast live to the whole country, in which he reviewed Egypt's achievements in various fields since Sisi was re-elected in 2018**. In his closing remarks, Sisi announced his participation in Egypt this time
According to CCTV News, ** was originally scheduled to be held in 2024, but Egypt's National Election Commission announced that it would bring ** forward to December 2023. According to the public timetable, the results of the first round of voting in this election will be announced on December 18. If a second round of voting is held, the final results will be announced by January 16 next year at the latest.
In this election, three candidates are competing against Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, including the chairman of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, Zahran, the chairman of the Egyptian Wavlet Party, Yemamai, and the chairman of the Egyptian Republican People's Party, Hazim. Reuters noted that none of the three were well-known.
On December 10, 2023 local time, in Cairo, Egypt, people waited to vote on the first day of voting in the ** election. Fig. ic photo
Ahmed El-Tantawy, a former lawmaker, was el-Sisi's main potential challenger, but he has ended his campaign because he did not secure the required number of registered signatures to run. Tantawi is also accused of disseminating election-related documents without permission from the authorities and is awaiting trial. The Associated Press pointed out that given that Sisi did not face any strong challenger, it is very likely that Sisi will win re-election and remain in power until 2030.
Sisi was born in 1954 and is 69 years old. He graduated from the Egyptian Military Academy and served as Egyptian military attaché in Saudi Arabia, commander of the Northern Military District, director of the Military Intelligence Department, and minister of defense. He was elected in May 2014, was sworn in in June of that year, and was re-elected in June 2018.
It is worth noting that in both the 2014 and 2018 elections, Sisi won about 97% of the vote*** Analysts say that at the time of previous conflicts, Sisi portrayed himself as a "fortress of stability" and won the favor of many Egyptians.
Of course I would vote for Sisi. Nabia Ahmed, 65, said in an interview at the polling station, "I voted for him because I want my children to be safe." ”
During his administration, Sisi also expanded roads, built overpasses, and created a new capital near Cairo. Its proponents argue that urban expansion will make life easier for people and will help attract foreign investment, and that these projects will create jobs and ultimately make the country more prosperous.
Western countries have long criticized Sisi for suppressing dissent, but similar criticism has decreased much in recent months. Analysts say this is because after the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Sisi has regained diplomatic significance on the international stage. A number of Western** people have visited Egypt one after another, and Egypt has played a key mediating role in the conflict. Sisi not only reminded international partners of Egypt's importance, but also rallied the country's people around him.
After winning the election, "internal and external troubles".
In fact, whoever wins this election will face no small challenges for the next six years.
The three-day voting election comes at a time when Egypt is mired in an economic crisis. Official data shows that Egypt has about 10.5 billion people, nearly one-third of whom live in poverty, inflation is over 35%, and food** is rising. In 2022, Egypt's public debt accounted for more than 88% of the country's GDP, more than double the regional average.
Sisi launched an ambitious reform program in 2016 that was supposed to reverse long-standing problems in Egypt's battered economy. The Associated Press pointed out that the austerity measures imposed in Egypt have led to a surge in prices, which has placed a considerable burden on the population.
Bloomberg Economics recently named Egypt as the second country to be at risk of defaulting on its debt. Some critics argue that Sisi's use of huge sums of money on infrastructure projects is a "financial indiscretion" that has depleted most of Egypt's economic resources, created massive debts and paralyzed the economy.
Sisi, for his part, blamed Egypt's deepening economic woes on external shocks, such as the pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Its proponents argue that the savings created by the reform program have been eaten up by the coronavirus, and that the conflict in Ukraine has forced many foreign investors to withdraw their funds from Egyptian banks.
Egypt is also the world's largest importer of wheat and has traditionally imported most of its grains from Ukraine and Russia. But Egypt is now running out of foreign currency to buy essential goods such as fuel and food.
On December 10, 2023 local time, in Cairo, Egypt, people waited to vote on the first day of voting in the ** election. Fig. ic photo
Egypt** has repeatedly emphasized its investment in social welfare programs that provide a "safety net" for the poorest and most vulnerable Egyptians, yet the population continues to complain about their worsening living conditions.
According to Reuters, after the election, the top priorities for the new term** will be to control near-record inflation, manage chronic foreign exchange shortages, and prevent spillovers from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In the aftermath of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Egypt played a key role in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and in assisting the Gaza Strip.
The plight of the people of Gaza has also touched a nerve in Egypt. The Washington Post pointed out that while some right-wing Israeli politicians advocated pushing the people of Gaza into the Sinai Peninsula, the Egyptians feared that they would become part of the displacement of the Palestinian people. Sisi has said that the relocation of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Egypt is a red line that Egypt must not accept and that Egypt will never allow it to happen.
In light of this, no one wants to see Egypt plunged into turmoil. D**id Butter, an associate research fellow at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, said the Gaza crisis has increased the challenges facing Egypt, which is why the International Monetary Organization has stepped up its support for Egypt. All of this will give Egypt more leverage in pushing more aid into Gaza.
Foreign media analysis pointed out that in a country facing an economic crisis, in a region plagued by conflict and rift, if Sisi wins the election, his third term may not be easier than the first two.