El-Sissi wins Egypt’s presidential election with 89.6% of the vote and secures third term in office

CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi has won reelection to a third, six-year term in office. The National Election Authority said Monday that el-Sissi recorded a landslide victor of 89.6% of the vote, calling it the highest voting percentage in Egypt’s history. He ran against three virtually unknown opponents. The vote was overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza on Egypt’s eastern border, which has threatened to expand into wider regional turmoil. The North African country is also in the midst of an economic crisis, with monthly inflation surging above 30%. Under el-Sissi’s watch, thousands of government critics have been silenced or jailed. They are mainly Islamists but also prominent secular activists and opposition figures.