Incumbent President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi has won a third term as President of Egypt, the National Elections Authority (NEA) announced this afternoon 18 December.
Hazem Badawi, Head of NEA said that President Sisi won 39,702,451 votes, constituting 89.6 per cent of the vote, thus winning a new six-year term.
According to figures announced by NEA, the voter base constitutes 67 million, 324 thousand and 37 voters. The number of those who cast their ballots inside and outside Egypt constituted 44 million, 776 thousand and 68 voters. The turnout, 66.8 per
cent, was high by Egyptian standards, especially given that it was widely believed that President Sisi was sure to win.
Mr Badawi remarked that the 2024 presidential election witnessed the highest voter turnout in recent elections. In 2018 when Sisi was voted in for a second term, voter turnout stood at 41 per cent; in 2014, Sisi’s first term, it stood at some 47.5 per cent; and in 2012 it was 46.4 percent in the first round and 51.8 percent in the second round.
Expatriate Egyptians had cast their ballots in 137 electoral centres in 121 countries, on 1, 2 and 3 December 2023, following which the vote count in each constituency was made, and the results were sent in sealed envelopes to NEA through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in order for NEA to include the census in the final official total count.
Inside Egypt, balloting took place on 10, 11, and 12 December in 11,631 polling centres.
NEA announced that it had opened the door for appeals against the decisions of its general committees on Thursday 14 December, but that it had not received any appeals.
The 2024 presidential election was contested by four candidates: incumbent President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi; Farid Zahran, head of the Egyptian Democratic Social Party; Abdel-Sanad Yamama, head of al-Ward Party; and Hazem Omar, head of the People’s Republican Party.
Mr Omar won 1.9 million votes, 4.5 per cent of the total vote; Mr Zahran won 1.7 million votes (4 per cent); and Mr Yamama won 822.6 thousand votes (1.9 per cent).
President Sisi addressed the nation. “My pride in you is infinite. Choosing me for the mission of leading the country is a responsibility that I bear faithfully before God Almighty and before you, and history will bear witness to it.
“With you, I rekindle the covenant to dedicate every effort to continue, together, building the New Republic that we strive to establish, guided by our shared vision of a democratic State that embraces its sons and daughters, governed by an unwavering commitment to upholding the law and Constitution and that moves firmly and steadfastly toward modernity and growth on the basis of science and technology, while maintaining its identity, culture and heritage, making the advancement of the human being its foremost priority, and seeking to provide a decent life for all,” the President said.
State officials, politicians, public figure and religious leaders congratulated President Sisi.
Pope Tawadros II issued a statement as head of the Coptic Orthodox Church, congratulating President Sisi for “gaining the trust of the Egyptian people.”
“On this occasion,” the statement read, “we value and salute the patriotism and awareness of the Egyptian people, who in their tens of millions headed to the ballot boxes, achieving a turnout of 66.8 per cent, to declare their sincere will to complete the process of development and achievements, and to protect the country’s legacy during this delicate stage.
“We pray that God preserve our beloved homeland, Egypt, and guide her elected president and various institutions in all sectors to achieve the benefit of her great people.”
Watani International
18 December 2023
