The Egyptian presidential election has begun. Voters living abroad began casting their ballots on Friday, December 1, at polling stations set up in embassies. The rest of the Egyptian population will go to the polls in Egypt between December 10 and 12. The final results will be announced on December 18.
The incumbent president, Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, is unsurprisingly heading for re-election to a third term. The former military intelligence chief, then defense minister, came to power in 2014, following a coup one year earlier that deposed the democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi from the Muslim Brotherhood. In 2019, Marshal el-Sissi pushed through a constitutional reform allowing him to run for a third term extended from four to six years.
The course of the campaign has been affected by the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, on the country's doorstep. The Egypitian president, who has been busy on the diplomatic front trying to play a role in calming the conflict in Gaza, has not taken part in any campaign debates or rallies. The only issue for the regime seems to be how to manage the crisis and secure a plebiscite.
Only three candidates have received the 20 parliamentary endorsements required to run for president. Hazem Omar, leader of the Republican People's Party, has pledged, if elected, to reduce food prices after 100 days and improve public services. Abdel-Sanad Yamama, a candidate from the Al-Wafd Party, has campaigned on the theme of "Saving Egypt." As for Farid Zahran, leader of the Social Democratic Party, appointed to the Senate in 2021 by the president himself, he was the only one to dare criticize el-Sissi's economic record, claiming that "choosing this regime again means choosing an uncertain future."
"The electoral process is biased. The electoral laws, the atrophied political spectrum and the climate in which this election is being held... everything points towards a guaranteed victory for el-Sissi. Political dissidents are harshly repressed and the media remain under the regime's control. Above all, the three opposition candidates have been chosen by the regime. Among them, two are well-known supporters of the incumbent president," said Hesham Sallam, director of research at Stanford University (California).
Pressure was put on dissident candidates who were forced to withdraw from the race. First journalist Hicham Kassem, then Al-Dostour Party candidate Gameela Ismail, and finally Social Democratic candidate Ahmed Al-Tantawi. The latter had succeeded in arousing enthusiasm among the opposition but ended up withdrawing following repeated intimidation. He condemned systematic obstruction by the authorities which prevented him from gathering the popular support needed to register his candidacy. Several dozen campaign activists were arrested, some of whom were released. Accused of falsifying election documents, Al-Tantawi will appear in court in January 2024.
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