Voting concludes in Egypt’s presidential elections

The three-day elections, which began on Sunday, featured four candidates, with the current President, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, standing out as the most prominent contender.

While Al-Sisi is widely expected to secure a third term, he faces competition from three other candidates: Farid Zahran, the head of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party; Abdel-Sanad Yamama, leader of the Egyptian Wafd party; and Hazem Omar, head of the Republican People's Party.

Having won his first and second terms in 2014 and 2018, Al-Sisi's candidacy for a third term became possible through constitutional amendments that extended the presidential mandate from four to six years.

With a voting-eligible population of over 67 million, the turnout figures are yet to be announced. As of noon on Monday, the National Election Authority reported a 45% turnout.

In the event that no candidate secures more than 50% of the vote, a runoff is scheduled for January 8-10.

The elections come at a challenging time for the North African country, grappling with an economic crisis marked by surging inflation. Official figures indicate that one-third of Egypt's 105 million people live in poverty.

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi rose to power in 2013 following the overthrow of Mohamed Morsy, Egypt’s only democratically elected president, in a military coup. (ILKHA)