Early reports indicate that Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has won Egypt’s presidential election in a landslide. The former army chief won 93.4 per cent of the total vote, with his main rival, Hamdeen Sabahi, garnering only about 3 per cent of the tally, according to Reuters.   

However, the election was marred by a low turnout, despite the fact that Egypt extended the election into Wednesday. Early estimates by pro-Al-Sisi media show a turnout of between 38 and 44 per cent, compared with the nearly 52 per cent in the 2012 election won by President Mohamed Mursi.

The 59-year-old Al-Sisi was a relative unknown until he took a leading role in the coup to remove Mursi and his Muslim Brotherhood-backed government from power in July 2013. When the interim cabinet was subsequently sworn in, Al-Sisi was retained as defence minister, and quickly came to be seen as the figurehead of the caretaker leadership.

Ironically, it was Mursi himself who initiated Al-Sisi’s elevation through the ranks in 2012, appointing the then intelligence chief as military head and defence minister after forcing Mohamed Tantawi into retirement. 

The relatively low voter turnout might suggest that Al-Sissi was unable to capture the overwhelming support he had hoped to achieve after ousting Mursi.