On Monday, the Egyptian National Elections Authority announced that Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has secured a third term as leader of the country after the counting of votes in the election held between December 10 and 12 was finalised.
It was announced that Sisi took 89.6 percent of the vote to secure a third term, with turnout at 66.8 percent in public voting. However, many are sceptical of the elections that have just taken place in the country, with the country facing its worst-ever economic crisis along with the wars going on in its neighbouring countries.
Who is Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ?
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has become the leader of the country for the third time, but many in the country accuse him of having rigged the whole election procedure. Sisi was a former general in the army who came to power in 2013, after he overthrew Egypt’s first democratically elected leader, Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood.
He was elected to the presidency in 2014 and was re-elected in 2018, having won both of these elections with 97 percent of the vote. In 2019, under his governance, the constitution was amended to extend the presidential term to six years from four, which allowed him to remain in power for more time.
El-sisi faces no serious opposition in Egypt
Sisi also does not face any serious political opposition in the country. He was running against three other candidates, and none of them were high-profile. Hossam Bahgat, head of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), an independent group, said that there were no elections really held as Sisi used the entire state apparatus and security agencies to his advantage to prevent any serious contender from even running for elections.
The most prominent potential candidate ended his run for the presidential election after complaining that his campaign had been impeded and dozens of his supporters had been arrested. He is also reported to have the unflagging support of the Egyptian Army. However, Egypt’s National Election Authority has described all his accusations as baseless.
El-sisi accused of misusing power
In all these years in which Sisi cemented his power in Egypt, he has also been accused of using his power to subdue any opposing voice that could rise in the country. It has been reported that under his rule, thousands of people have been made political prisoners and have been jailed for going against him. Veteran publisher and government critic Hisham Kassem is facing jail for the same reason.
The internet monitoring organisation NetBlocks reported that about 34,000 websites had been shut down in 2019 to curb spreading ideas opposing the constitutional referendum that was passed that year, extending the presidential term from four to six years in Egypt.
Economic Crisis in Egypt under El-sisi’s rule
It has also been observed that in all these years under Sisi’s leadership, the country has gone from being once the most powerful country in the Middle East to having experienced one of the worst inflations in all its years.
In 2022, public debt in Egypt was reported to be above 88 percent of the country’s GDP. Along with this, inflation in the region has also been consistently above 35 percent since June this year. All across the country, Egyptians have been reported to be searching for a second job while cutting back on household spending and food.
Along with this, the price of basic subsidised goods has gone to a point beyond the reach of many, with the poverty rate having reached approximately 30 percent in the country. The Egyptian pound has also plummeted to about 50 against the US dollar on the black market, as opposed to an official rate of 31.
Over the last decade, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have extended millions of credit lines to Egypt. Along with this, the IMF has also extended huge loans to the country many times in the last six years. Many analysts in the country are still believing that Sisi and his government will take care of the debt repayments, which are supposed to start next year. Meanwhile, the government has instead pushed ahead with several megaprojects in the middle of such an economic crisis, which include building a new capital outside Cairo.
Adding to Egypt’s struggles are the ongoing conflicts in its neighbouring countries. Egypt no longer holds power over its neighbours like it once used to. It now instead has to worry about not being affected due to ongoing conflicts there. There are civil wars raging in Sudan and in Libya. Along with this, the Gaza Strip is also in an unsurmountable crisis due to its conflict with Israel.
How common people in Egypt live in all this ?
Common people in Egypt have expressed indifference about the election in the country. They don’t care about it anymore, saying the result is a long-foregone conclusion. However, his supporters still support him and credit him with successfully returning peace to the country after the chaos that erupted following the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak.
