There appeared to be no major surprises in Egypt's three-day presidential election, with preliminary results showing that President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi had been re-elected with 92 percent of the vote. The president's little-known opponent, Moussa Mustapha Moussa, won about two percent.
Individual polling stations across Egypt announced the results of three days of voting, giving what appeared to be a landslide victory to incumbent President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.
The spokesman for Egypt's National Electoral Commission, Mahmoud el-Sherif, told journalists Wednesday that official final results would not be announced until Monday, April 2. It was not immediately clear why individual polling stations went ahead and announced vote counts sooner.
A sandstorm, which raged across much of the country Wednesday, fouled up voting in many places, and voting hours reportedly were extended by some local precinct chiefs.
In Photos: Egypt Election
Lacking Drama, Egypt's Elections Excite Few
Journalists had unprecedented access to polling stations in many towns and cities, with some broadcasting directly from polling stations, as votes were counted late Wednesday and into Thursday morning.
About 23 million of Egypt's 60 million registered voters turned out to vote during three days of balloting. The 40 percent turnout was down from 47 percent during the 2014 presidential election, causing some disappointment among government supporters. Two million voters also cast ballots for candidates who were not on the ballot, according to Al Ahram newspaper.
Egyptians who did not vote wondered Thursday whether the government would enforce a seldom used law fining those who did not cast their ballots. Egypt's electoral spokesman said Wednesday he was personally opposed to the imposition of fines, although theoretically, the law could be applied.
A number of opposition parties, including the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group, called on Egyptian voters not to go to the polls. Some voters apparently heeded the call not to vote, while others appeared apathetic about the political process in general.
