Were Egyptians really interested in their Presidential elections

Egyptians have shown little interest in the presidential elections December 10-12^th amid a difficult economic crisis and a conflict involving the nation’s border in the Gaza Strip. Reuters reported Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is expected to win a third, six-year term after three days of voting. 

Results are due on December 18.

The National Election Authority indicated that turnout on the first two days of voting was around 45%, and that the voting process proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Authorities and experts on tightly controlled local media have been calling for people to vote out of patriotic duty, showcasing recordings and photographs of those who arrived in buses or stationed themselves outside polling centers waving national flags.

Crowds have gathered at voting booths where patriotic music was broadcast over loudspeakers, largely to laud the achievements of the current regime--which by most international standards appear debatable--as the country is experiencing a 35% inflation rate as the 105 million-strong populace is grappling with skyrocketing prices and other economic challenges,

After a decade-long assault on dissent, some label the election a fraud. The government's media agency called it a step toward political plurality, and officials have denied any infractions of electoral procedures.

According to Reuters plainclothes officers have been deployed in large numbers, with some in Suez, instructing people to be photographed with flags in front of all voting locations, while others escorted middle-aged and elderly women into minivans.

Long lines were visible outside polling locations in both the capital and in Suez, as people appeared to have voted in demonstration of their support for the nation.

Egyptians feel that although they must adjust to increased prices, only Sisi and the military can provide security. Sisi, a former army leader, was elected president in 2014, a year after overseeing the removal of Egypt's first democratically elected president in response to anti-government protesters and was re-elected in 2018. He received 97% of the vote in both polls.

While some criticize the State for prioritizing costly mega-projects, incurring additional debt, others praise the booming infrastructure erected in recent years, as well as a new capital city under construction in the desert.

On Sunday, according to Reuters, bags of flour, rice and other basic commodities were distributed to individuals who voted near another polling station in Giza.