Egyptians made their way back to polling stations on Monday for the second day of the presidential election, widely predicted to result in the incumbent securing a decisive win, despite the event being overshadowed by multiple crises.
Local media captured scenes of jubilation as Egyptians gathered in large numbers, displaying flags and playing patriotic tunes from speakers around polling stations throughout the country.
“Today is like a holiday, a very beautiful carnival,” voter Hamud Abu El-Maaty said outside a polling station in the upscale Cairo district of Zamalek.
However, in much of the vast capital, the primary indication that the country, home to nearly 106 million people, was in the midst of an election was the pervasive presence of campaign posters promoting current president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
The former army chief faces competition from three relatively lesser-known candidates: Farid Zahran, the leader of the left-leaning Egyptian Social Democratic Party; Abdel-Sanad Yamama from the century-old but somewhat marginal Wafd party; and Hazem Omar from the Republican People’s Party.
The voting process, slated to conclude on Tuesday with results announced on December 18, has been overshadowed by the neighboring Gaza conflict and Egypt’s most severe economic downturn to date.
However, a decade-long crackdown on dissent has effectively eliminated any significant contenders for the top leadership position.
“I have come today to vote for the president because of the incredibly difficult situation our country is going through,” 67-year old Nadia Shahin told media after voting.
“We need a strong president,” she continued, echoing other supporters of the former army chief who insist only he can protect Egypt’s interests from the fallout of the war in Gaza, just across the northeastern border.
For the majority of Egyptians, whose savings have been significantly impacted by an ongoing economic crisis since early last year, the cost of living remains their paramount concern.
Even ardent supporters of Sisi, under whose administration Egypt’s debt has more than tripled, have urged the president to alleviate the burden on ordinary citizens.
Abu El-Maaty said he “wants the new president, whoever he is, to enact control over the market” and “punish merchants” engaged in price gouging.
Currently, annual inflation is at 38.5 percent, with the import-dependent economy grappling with severe foreign currency shortages after the Egyptian pound lost half its value within a year.
This election, if successful, would mark Sisi’s third and, as per the constitution, final term in office.
Approximately 67 million eligible voters are part of the Arab world’s most populous nation.
With no substantial competition, voter turnout is expected to serve as a significant gauge of public sentiment. In 2018, turnout dropped by six points from Sisi’s initial election in 2014, reaching 41.5 percent.
