Preliminary indicators from the general committees’ counting process showed presidential candidate Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in the lead. According to the numerical tallies announced by the general committees, candidate Abdel Fattah al-Sisi came first with 3,031,891 votes. Candidate Hazem Omar came second with 148,834 votes, candidate Farid Zahran received 103,574 votes, and candidate Abdel Sanad Yamama received 46,907 votes.
The results of the presidential election are scheduled to be officially announced on 18 December. Voting took place on 10, 11 and 12 of this month, to choose between Sisi, Hazem Omar, Farid Zahran and Abdel Sanad Yamama.
Counsellor Mahmoud Fawzi, head of Sisi’s election campaign, said that the results of the voting confirm the Egyptian people’s appreciation of the President’s efforts over the past nine years, commenting: “The vote shows that the Egyptian people’s compass was sound.”
In televised statements to the programme “Kelma Akhira” with presenter Lamees El-Hadidi on ON E, he pointed to the political leadership having endured many lies and rumours.
Hazem Omar’s Campaign: Voters Turned Out and Violations Were Absent
Zaher El-Shoqonqeiry, spokesperson for candidate Hazem Omar’s campaign, said that the electoral process ran smoothly, praising the facilitation of citizens’ voting.
He added: we did not receive any complaints or violations that negatively affect the process; the scene was entirely honourable throughout the 3 days, befitting a high-level election and the size of a country like Egypt.
In a phone-in to the programme “Al-Masaa with Qaswaa” with presenter Qaswaa El-Khalaly on CBC, he described participation as very positive, with no negatives at all, and stressed the importance of the role of young people, who took part in large numbers.
He explained that the campaign followed the election closely through the central operations room and 10,000 field members on the ground, affirming that the electoral process was not affected by any factors worth mentioning.
He thanked the competing campaigns for competing in love of the homeland and its service, saying: “A refined political language prevailed, without any transgressions, and the media gave everyone equal opportunities.”
Presidential candidate Engineer Hazem Omar, head of the Republican People’s Party, had said that not taking part in the election amounts to voters giving up their constitutional right with a blank cheque, and helps those of weak character exploit the field to mislead and spread rumours.
Zahran’s Campaign: Higher Turnout Is Due to Our Candidate’s Presence
Mohamed Salem, political adviser to presidential candidate Farid Zahran, said that the higher-than-expected participation rates are mainly due to the participation of the campaign’s candidate, whom it described as representing the Egyptian opposition in the electoral race.
He added that the participation of candidate Farid Zahran, head of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, and the participation of the Justice Party alongside him as a key partner in the campaign is what added momentum to the electoral process, as a result of the honest and genuine opposition discourse we put forward on the economic crisis and the genuine programme we presented that addresses the economic crisis and its solutions.
Engineer Bassem Kamel, director of candidate Farid Zahran’s campaign, also thanked the media for their neutrality and respectful coverage of the electoral process, and for providing equal opportunities as far as possible to the four candidates.
He stated that “the turnout of the Egyptian people taking part in the voting was clear over the 3 days”, noting that it was heavier on the last day.
He praised the large turnout of young people, explaining that this was because they listened to political discourse with a high ceiling.
He also saluted women, who took part at a much higher rate than men in most polling stations, thanking everyone who voted for Zahran and saw him as a hope for safe, peaceful change.
Yamama’s Campaign: Our Candidate Is Happy
Yasser El-Hodaiby, spokesperson for the campaign of presidential candidate Abdel Sanad Yamama, said that the Egyptian people turned out to take part in the presidential election out of a sense of the regional challenges facing the state, and not to “elect a specific candidate”.
He added in televised statements to the programme “Kelma Akhira” with presenter Lamees El-Hadidi on ON E last night that the Wafd Party’s participation responds to the principle of loyalty to the homeland.
He said that the Wafd Party’s candidate, Yamama, was the happiest of the contenders with the experience, which added to the party after a long period of stagnation.
He touched on Egyptian women recording the highest participation rate among all groups in the presidential election, adding: “Egyptians are a people with a civilisation. When it was said of us that we are the deep state, the deep state is an advantage; otherwise, the Brotherhood would have usurped it if it were otherwise.”
He explained that the Wafd Party’s operations room did not record any electoral violations or irregularities over the three days, except for an inconsequential picture of candidate number one in a school principal’s voting room, by virtue of his capacity as head of state.
Appeals Received Tomorrow… “If Any”
The National Election Authority, headed by Counsellor Hazem Badawy, will receive tomorrow, Thursday, appeals in the 2024 presidential election concerning the records and decisions of the general committees on objections and all procedures related to voting and counting, if any.
The authority will rule on the appeals ahead of issuing a decision on them on Friday and Saturday.
Result Announced “Monday”
The National Election Authority will announce the result of the presidential election at a press conference next Monday, after the end of the appeals period on the voting and counting records and the general committees’ decisions on objections and all matters related to the election on Friday and Saturday.
