Egyptians are going to the polls in three-day presidential elections that began Sunday. As incumbent authoritarian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi appears set to win a third term, long breadlines and crises both in Egypt and across the border in Gaza weigh heavily on Egyptian voters. Cairo-based photojournalist Hamada Elrasam is following the story, starting Sunday in the North Sinai city of Arish. Written in collaboration with Elle Kurancid.
In Photos: Egyptians Vote Amid Crises at Home and in the Region
- By Hamada Elrasam
- Elle Kurancid
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Along with President Sissi, the army chief who clinched 97% wins in 2018 and 2014, three low-profile three politicians made the race, while his most prominent competitor, a former opposition lawmaker, withdrew citing harassment. In Arish, Egypt, Dec. 10, 2023. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)
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A family shows solidarity with Sissi and Palestinians near a polling station, just 30 miles from Egypt’s border with war-torn Gaza, where aid agencies say the humanitarian crisis is among the worst they have witnessed. Arish, Egypt, Dec. 10, 2023. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)
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Volunteers from the Sissi-aligned party of Mostakbal Watan (Nation's Future Party) assist voters in Arish, especially those who are illiterate in a region plagued by poverty and instability. In Arish, Egypt, Dec. 10, 2023. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)
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Sissi-aligned lawmaker Aziz Matar visits a poll in his district of North Sinai, the site of the Egyptian army’s decade-long fight against a local ISIS affiliate, an effort that has resulted in thousands of home evictions and demolitions. Arish, Egypt, Dec. 10, 2023. (Hamada Elrasam/VOA)
