EGYPT’S former military chief Abdel Fattah el-Sisi won a crushing victory in the Egyptian Presidential poll over his sole opponent, a leftist politician, with more than 96% of the votes cast. The turnout reached 46% though a turnout of 52% elected Mohammed Morsi to the Presidential office in 2012. El-Sisi’s victory was only to be predicted. But the integrity of the vote was in question. On the first two scheduled days of voting, the polling stations were empty. But on the third day, the number of voters swelled beyond all proportion. The verdict of the election bestowed legitimacy on the retired field marshal who was ousted last July. But it was assumed that Sisi was set to be the President. Interim President Adly Mansour declared that legitimacy had at last been achieved after arriving at a broad consensus for transition by the military after Morsi’s ouster. Sisi wanted over 40 million of the country’s 54 million registered voters and he very nearly made it. Islamists boycotted the vote along with some secular revolutionary youth groups.
Supporters of Sisi held victory celebrations in Tahrir Square where there had been popular agitation to overthrow the tyrannical Hosni Mubarak. Sisi was the fifth army man to be at the helm of the Egyptian government. The military has been the backbone of the country’s political life since 1952 when army officers toppled the monarchy. Morsi was the only interlude. Sisi had not unveiled a programme and did not do any campaigning. He has won as a potential strongman who can revive the sagging economy of the country. The western powers, however, are not very much in his favour because of the repression of Morsi and his followers.
