Against the backdrop of the war in Gaza and a severe domestic economic crisis, Egyptians are participating in a presidential election as they head to the polls on Sunday.
The election, spanning three days until Tuesday, is anticipated to result in the reelection of incumbent President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi for a third term.
Al-Sissi, despite mounting dissatisfaction with rising inflation, has seen a resurgence in popular support. Many Egyptians align with his warnings regarding the feared displacement of Gazans to neighboring Egypt amid the ongoing Israeli onslaught.
Al-Sissi has cautioned that if Palestinians are displaced in Egypt, the Sinai Peninsula could become a launchpad for attacks against Israel since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7.
Any migration, he argues, would weaken the Palestinian cause.
Besides al-Sissi, three other candidates are running for office.
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Al-Sissi, an ex-army chief, did not give any campaign interviews, but his diplomatic engagements in Gaza have largely served that purpose.
People watched his press conferences alongside foreign dignities as the war on Gaza near Egypt’s north-eastern border took the spotlight away from domestic problems, including a lack of freedom of expression.
Last month, he gave a public speech to thousands of people at the Cairo stadium to show solidarity with Palestinians.
Furthermore, colossal billboards featuring his images dominate the cityscape of Cairo, overshadowing those of the three other candidates.
Included in the lineup are Farid Zahran, an influential leftist spearheading the Social Democratic Party; Abdel-Sanad Yamama, steering the liberal Wafd party; and Hazem Omar, the pioneering founder of the liberal People’s Republican Party.
The electoral process will kick off at 9 a.m. (0700 GMT), with more than 9,300 polling stations dispersed across Egypt open for a continuous 12-hour window.
According to information from Egyptian media outlets, a substantial 67 million Egyptians have the eligibility to participate in the voting process.
The conclusive official results are set to be officially revealed on December 18.