CAIRO: Egyptians voted on Monday in a presidential election expected to sweep former army chief Abdel Fatah al-Sisi into office, with supporters brushing aside concerns about human rights and hailing him as the strong leader the country needs.
Three years after the historic uprising against Hosni Mubarak, the vote is set to restore a pattern of rule by men from the military after Sisi toppled Egypt’s first freely elected leader, Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Voters lined up to cast ballots at heavily guarded polling stations from 9.00 a.m. (2.00 a.m. ET). Sisi faces only one challenger in the two-day vote: the leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi.
“We see Sisi as a real man. Egypt likes a strong man,” said Saber Habib, clenching his fist to illustrate his point as he waited to vote in the city of Suez, east of Cairo.
“We want the country to move forward and for the people to have bread,” said the 64-year-old contractor.
Widely regarded as Egypt’s de facto leader since he toppled Mursi after mass protests, Sisi, 59, faces manifold challenges including an economy in crisis and a campaign of Islamist violence that has spiraled since he overthrew Mursi.
To the Islamists, he is the mastermind of a bloody coup that led to a crackdown that has killed hundreds of Mursi supporters and landed thousands more in jail. Secular dissidents who led the 2011 uprising against Mubarak have also been imprisoned.
The Brotherhood and its allies have called for a boycott.
As he voted in Cairo, Sisi waved to supporters, who shouted “President, President!” “Today Egyptians are going to write their history,” said Sisi, who is seeking a big turnout by voters to provide him with a strong mandate.
The election is the seventh vote or referendum since the 2011 uprising that raised hopes for greater political freedoms. But three years on, after a failed experiment with democracy, many Egyptians say stability comes first. (Reuters)
