Egypt’s Sisi wins presidential election

Friday, 30 May 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

CAIRO (Reuters): Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the general who toppled Egypt’s first freely elected leader, took more than 90% of the vote in a

presidential election, provisional results showed on Thursday, as he joined a long line of leaders drawn from the military. But a lower-than-expected turnout figure raised questions about the credibility of a man idolized by his supporters as a hero who can deliver political and economic stability. Sisi won 93.3% of votes cast, judicial sources said, as counting neared its conclusion after three days of voting. His only rival, leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi, gained 3% while 3.7% of votes were declared void. Turnout was 44.4% of Egypt’s 54 million voters, judicial sources said, less than the 40 million votes, or 80% of the electorate, that Sisi had called for last week and also less than the 52% turnout Mursi won in 2012. The stock market, which fell 2.3% on Wednesday as some players said the turnout was a disappointment, was down a further 0.9% by late morning on Thursday. On the black market, the Egyptian pound weakened slightly.