(AFP PHOTO/ STR)
Former defence minister Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi was elected president by 96.9% of valid votes, totaling 23,780,104, beating the only other contender, Nasserist politician Hamdeen Sabahy.
The Presidential Elections Commission (PEC) announced that the voter turnout was 25,587,223 million, which equates to 47.5% of registered voters. Only 3.09% of voters, or 757,511, chose Sabahy over Al-Sisi. He had been seen as the dark horse from the beginning of the race.
The PEC said that approximately 95% of total votes were valid.
The Field Marshal’s victory had been widely expected after he became a household name in July when he announced on state television the ouster of former president and Muslim Brotherhood politician Mohamed Morsi.
Al-Sisi is set to take the oath-of-office before the Supreme Constitutional Court’s general assembly on Sunday.
On Thursday, several international observation missions presented their preliminary findings and condemned the climate surrounding the elections. Although slated to run for only two days, the elections were extended for a third, a move which was criticised by both local and international groups. It is speculated that the extension was a result of the low voter turnout on the first two days.
Democracy International, one of six international observers, called the extension “the latest in a series of unusual steps that have seriously harmed the credibility of the process.” Chief Observer of the European Union Election Observation Mission Mario David said that the extension caused “unnecessary uncertainty” and the National Council for Human Rights said the decision goes against the procedural guarantees that were set by the commission.
There have been repeated statements by government officials in the past few days on fining abstainers. The Presidential Elections Law stipulates that they can be fined up to EGP 500, approximately $70. The prospect of fining has motivated some to cast a ballot in order to avoid such consequences.
There were similar suggestions by government officials to fine abstainers after the 2012 presidential elections. Morsi had won the 2012 elections after going through two rounds of voting, beating former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq in the second round. The number of voters at the time was 50,958,794 and the turnout was 52%. Over 24 million people abstained from voting in the second round, but the suggestions to fine them were never implemented.
