Sisi supporters jubilant for no-contest election

THOUSANDS of supporters of Abdel Fattah el-sisi, the president of Egypt, turned out at polling stations across the country yesterday to vote in an election that their candidate is certain to win.

People waved Egyptian flags, chanted Mr Sisi’s name, and wore hats and T-shirts emblazoned with his face as they turned out to vote amid heavy security.

“He is the man who God sent to save this country,” declared Ahmed Boshkash, a 57-year-old former bodybuilder, who was one of the first to cast a ballot at the Mohammad Farid School in Cairo. “He’s a real man and not a liar. We will see millions of people support him.”

All of Mr Sisi’s credible opponents have been arrested or intimidated out of running, leaving Egyptian voters with a ballot paper with only two names: Mr Sisi and Moussa Mostafa Moussa, his token challenger.

Over the course of several hours at different polling stations, The Daily Telegraph found no one who was planning to vote for Mr Moussa, nor anyone who knew anyone planning to vote for him.

Mr Sisi won 97 per cent of the vote in the 2014 presidential elections with a turnout of 47.5 per cent, according to official figures. Analysts expect the Egyptian state will aim for similar figures in this election.