Egyptians to vote for president in December

Polls will open for Egyptians to vote in presidential elections starting from December 1, the National Elections Authority announced in a Monday afternoon press conference. 

A winner is to be announced on December 18. 

Incumbent President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is yet to announce whether he will stand for a third term, despite securing nearly 100 percent in vote counts in 2014 and 2018, and having pushed through in 2019 constitutional amendments that would allow him to extend his tenure to 2030. 

As the elections approach, Sisi is facing an economy in crisis, and prominent outlets have reported friction between the Egyptian administration and traditional Gulf allies.

Outside of Egypt, voters will be invited to cast their ballots between December 1–3 and voters inside of Egypt from December 10–12. A recount, if required, would take place from January 5–7. 

Thus far, three opposition candidates and a handful of other candidates have said they plan to contest the presidency.

To qualify for candidacy, each must either be recommended by at least 20 sitting members of Parliament, or they must collect popular support forms from at least 25,000 citizens from at least 15 governorates, with a minimum of 1,000 supporters per governorate.

Presidential hopefuls will be able to submit their bids to run for election starting from October 5, with final submissions on October 14, the authority said Monday. A final list of eligible candidates will be made public on November 16. 

A preliminary list of candidates will be announced on October 16, with two days for challenges to selections to be submitted between October 17–18, followed by a review of the contestations from October 19–21. 

Applicants are to be informed of rejections on October 22. Those who are denied are invited to submit grievances on October 23–24 and appeals from October 27–28. The final deadline to withdraw candidacy is November 15. 

Sisi has maintained his grasp on the presidency since his 2014 victory in the first presidential elections to follow the 2013 coup. After winning a second term in 2018 against a pro-state politician, Sisi passed constitutional amendments approved in a hastily organized referendum in 2019 which extended presidential terms to six years instead of four and removed a cap on consecutive terms that would him to make a third bid for the presidency from 2024 to 2030.

Around 60 parties, including the majority-holding Nation’s Future Party, have announced that they wish for another Sisi presidency, would-be candidates from the liberal Wafd Party including Abdel Sanad Yamama and Mohamed Badrawy have expressed their intention to mount a bid at the ballot box. 

From the opposition, former MP and former leader of the Nasserist Karama Party Ahmed Tantawi was the first to launch his campaign to challenge Sisi in May, recruiting volunteers and undertaking public events and appearances to garner support for his presidential bid. Dozens of volunteers participating in his campaign have been arrested. 

Adding her bid this week, Gameela Ismail, head of the liberal Dostour Party, officially announced her intention to join the race in a letter addressed to party members on Wednesday. If accepted, Ismail would be the first woman to contest the presidency. 

Egyptian Social Democratic Party head Farid Zahran threw his hat into the ring on Thursday, announcing he intends to run for office. 

The timeline announced Monday will see Egyptians go to the polls earlier than expected. State Information Service head Diaa Rashwan announced in July that preparations would likely start in October for a February 2024 ballot.