Egypt's Sisi set for new term as presidential nominations close
29 Jan 2018 5:26 PM GMT
Cairo: Egypt's Abdel Fattah al-Sisi looks set to romp to victory in a March presidential election fast becoming a referendum on his first four-year term, despite a last-minute candidate entering the fray on Monday. The former army chief who toppled his Islamist predecessor in 2013 won 96.9 per cent of the vote in an election the following year, and is setting the stage for a similar performance. Voting takes place from March 26-28, and the deadline for nominations was 2:00 pm (local time) today.
One last-minute surprise candidate did come forward –the head of Egypt's liberal Ghad party, Mussa Mustapha Mussa.
But given that he backs the president, his token candidacy would appear meant to ensure that Sisi will not be the only name on the ballot paper.
Sisi ruled Egypt with an iron fist in a first term that saw him cracking down on an Islamist insurgency and agree to often unpopular economic reforms laid down by the International Monetary Fund.
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