Preliminary results show President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is leading Egypt’s presidential election with 21.5 million votes, state-owned newspaper Akhbar el-Youm reported on Thursday.
With some private television stations reporting that he could achieve a vote share of 95 percent or more, Sisi issued a defiant statement expressing pride at the way Egyptians had conducted themselves during the election.
“The voice of the Egyptian masses will undoubtedly bear witness to the fact that our nation’s will imposes itself with a force that knows no weakness,” Sisi said on Twitter.
His only challenger, Moussa Mostafa Moussa, a self-proclaimed Sisi supporter, garnered 721,000 votes, the newspaper reported.
Hours before polls closed, the electoral commission issued a last-minute call for people to vote, hoping to boost the turnout figure.
Voting was extended by one hour, the state news agency MENA reported.
On the first two days of voting, turnout was about 21 percent, according to two sources monitoring the election.
No overall figure for Wednesday was immediately available. A Western diplomat said that late on Tuesday, turnout was between 15 and 20 percent, with around 30 percent in some centers on
Wednesday.
Final results are due on Monday.
Also Read
-
Egypt opens polls for voting in presidential election
Voting began across Egypt on Monday in a presidential election expected to deliver a sweeping victory to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Some 60 ... Middle East -
Crazed fan proposes to Egypt football star Mohamed Salah... and he replies!
A picture of an Egyptian woman holding up a sign at the Egypt vs Portugal match that read: ‘Will you marry me, Salah?’ was widely shared ... Variety -
Sisi seeks high turnout in Egypt presidential election
Egypt votes on Monday in a presidential election set to deliver an easy win for incumbent Abdel Fattah al-Sisi,Sisi, 63, who led the military’s ... Middle East
