Egypt: Abdel Fattah al-Sisi heading for victory in presidential election

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the former army chief, is on course for a sweeping victory in Egypt’s presidential election, early provisional results showed.

al-Sisi captured 91.8 percent of votes cast in 50 percent of polling stations, judicial sources said. His only rival, leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi, gained 3.4 percent while 4.8 percent of votes were declared void.

Fireworks erupted in Cairo when al-Sisi’s results began to emerge. His supporters waved Egyptian flags and sounded car horns on the crowded streets of the capital. About 1,000 people gathered in Tahrir Square, the symbolic heart of the popular uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak in 2011 and raised hopes of a democracy free of influence from the military.

Turnout was 44.4 percent of Egypt’s 54 million voters, according to the judicial sources. That would be less than the 40 million votes, or 80 percent of the electorate, that al-Sisi had called for last week.

In a country polarized since the revolt against Mubarak, many voters stayed at home due to political apathy, opposition to another military man becoming president, and calls for a boycott by Islamists.

The two-day vote was originally due to conclude on Tuesday but was extended until Wednesday evening to allow the “greatest number possible” to vote, state media reported.

Many Egyptians, exhausted after 3 years of upheaval, have concluded that al-Sisi is the candidate who can bring calm, even though past leaders from the military mismanaged the country. Critics and human rights groups say abuses have spread since al-Sisi’s ouster of Mursi and fear he will rule the country with an iron fist. Despite an official campaign to bring out more voters, Egyptians, many opposed to al-Sisi, gave various reasons for their lack of enthusiasm. The Muslim Brotherhood, believed to have one million members, has rejected the poll, describing it as an extension of the army takeover. The group, loyal to Mursi, was outlawed by the military as a terrorist group.

Source: Reuters