Egypt’s President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has won a third six-year term with 89.6% of the vote, the electoral commission has announced. Leading opposition candidate Ahmed Tantawy had pulled out months before last week’s poll, claiming intimidation and violence against his campaign camp. Sisi, who is 69, first became president in 2014, a year after he had led the military’s overthrow of his Islamist predecessor Mohammed Morsi. With the Egyptian economy heavily dependent on imports, the prices of basic commodities have skyrocketed beyond the reach of many households and a black market for foreign currency has flourished. Egyptian opposition groups complain they cannot operate effectively due to a constant crackdown on dissent.

Source: Nigerian Tribune December 18, 2023 19:51 UTC