Egyptians have sights set on Sisi, says poll

Although he is yet to put to rest speculations about his presidential bid, 51 percent of Egyptians have already decided that they will vote for Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in the upcoming presidential elections.

In a poll conducted by Baseera, 45 percent of participants said they are still undecided, while just one percent said they will be voting for Hamdeen Sabbahi, the only person who has so far officially announced his candidacy.

As presidential elections loom, more and more former presidential hopefuls are declaring their positions. Last month Sabbahi announced his intention to run while Strong Egypt Party leader Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh said he would abstain.

Following suit are Armed Forces’ former chief of staff Sami Anan, who said last week that he is not running, as well as prominent rights lawyer Khaled Ali, who announced Sunday his intention not to run.

The most elusive candidate remains Sisi, who has been toying with the public for months, leaving them with almost weekly predictions by unnamed sources that he will finally enter the race.

According to the poll, voter turnout is expected to be 83 percent, with only 12 percent saying they do not intend to participate in the elections and a further six percent undecided.

The results also show that 81 percent of Egyptians in urban governorates will participate in the elections, compared to 79 percent in Upper Egypt.

Fourteen percent of respondents in urban governorates do not intend to vote, compared to 16 percent in Upper Egypt.

The percentage of respondents aged 30 years or younger who do not intend to vote in the upcoming presidential elections is double the percentage of respondents of older age. Eighteen percent of those under 30 said they will not participate, compared to 9 percent of respondents over 30.

The poll surveyed 2,062 respondents aged 18 and above nationwide between February 27 and March 4.