Time Magazine readers choose Sisi as person of the year

Armed Forces chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has been declared the winner of Time Magazine's 2013 Person of the Year reader's choice poll.

The poll ended on Wednesday. Sisi came out on top with almost 600,000 votes, or 26.6 percent of the total, ahead of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and American singer-actress Miley Cyrus.

Time described Sisi as “the Egyptian defense minister (and top army general) [who] spearheaded the controversial removal of democratically-elected President Mohamed Morsi in July this year.”

Erdogan came second with 20.6 percent of the vote, while Cyrus came third with 16.3 percent of the vote.

The Time's Person of the Year is a poll that profiles a person that "most influenced the news this year for better or worse.”

The Time's editors will select the individual featured as the magazine's Person of the Year on December 11, separately from the reader’s choice poll.

Sisi also won a face-off with Erdogan with 56 percent of the vote. Two million people cast their votes in the run-off.

Ironically, ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi was a runner-up in last year's poll. The editors wrote that "Egypt’s new president won kudos abroad and curses at home. What he does next could determine the shape of the Middle East."

Supporters of the army's strongman celebrated his victory and congratulated him on his "international success.”

Egyptian steel tycoon Ahmed Abu Hashima was the first public figure to congratulate Sisi, describing the win as an "appreciation for his national role and the love of Egyptians towards him. Congratulations to all Egyptians.”

But supporter Mona al-Ashry warned over Twitter, "Do not put too much hope on the Time's editors to choose Sisi as the person of the year, we delivered our message through the readers' voting. Otherwise, the final decision is by the editors of the magazine.”