Abdul Fattah al-Sisi: who is Egypt's new president?
Everything you need to know about the former military chief turned politician Abdul Fattah al-Sisi
Former Egyptian army chief Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has won an overwhelming victory in a presidential election many commentators described as a one-horse race.
With most ballots counted, Sisi appears to have won at least 96 per cent of the vote, the BBC reports.
Many groups boycotted the vote, which recorded a total turnout of just over 45 per cent despite being extended by a dat to allow the "greatest number possible" to vote, state media reported.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
According to the BBC, the low voter turnout "damages Sisi's authority before he takes office".
Military commander turned politicianFamily and friends say that as boy, Sisi was a "studious" young man. "He didn't hang out, he just went to school, the gym and the mosque," Sisi's cousin, Fathi, told The Sunday Times. Since he was a young man he was always "quiet, humble and ruthless", the paper reports.
Sisi rose through the military ranks swiftly. He was sent to study warfare in Britain and at the US Army War College in Pennsylvania – a privilege reserved for those "earmarked for greater things" in the army, according to Robert Springborg, an expert on the Egyptian military. When he returned he became defence attaché to Riyadh, and three years ago he was put in charge of military intelligence.
Anti-democratic leaningsSisi was a relative unknown until he was "propelled into the limelight" when Egypt's first democratically elected president, Mohammed Morsi, made him head of the armed forces in 2012. One year later Sisi deposed his former patron and had his political supporters arrested.
Many saw Morsi's decision to appoint Sisi head of the military as an attempt to regain control over the army – a gamble which failed to pay off.
The Sunday Times notes that even before Sisi deposed Morsi, he had shown anti-democratic leanings. While he was in US military college, he wrote a thesis in which he warned that "democracy, as a secular entity, is unlikely to be favourably received by the vast majority of Middle Easterners".
How he's seen in EgyptSisi remains a divisive figure, says Time magazine: "To his supporters, he is the 'Lion of Egypt,' a patriot who answered the call of millions by removing Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood from power. But to others, he is a tyrant who overthrew Egypt's first freely elected leader in a military coup".
The New York Times's David Kirkpatrick describes him as "Egypt's New Strongman". Sisi has shown that he "sees himself as a morally superior father figure responsible for directing and correcting the nation, with a firm hand if needed", Kirkpatrick says.
Writing in the Guardian, Magdi Abdelhadi says that in spite of the way in which he came to power, Sisi could yet turn out to be the leader Egypt needs: "Provided he listens, accepts public criticism and learns from past mistakes, Sisi could bring the stability Egypt needs. If he doesn't, there could be more trouble ahead, perhaps far worse than anything we have seen since the overthrow of Mubarak in 2011".
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'His story should be here'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
'Not cross buns': the row over recipe revamps
Talking Point New versions of the Easter favourite have sparked controversy but sales are soaring
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
The England kit: a furore over the flag
Why everyone's talking about Nike's redesign of the St George's Cross on the collar of the English national team's shirt has caused controversy
By The Week UK Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Gaza hospital blast: What the video evidence shows about who's to blame
Speed Read Nobody wants to take responsibility for the deadly explosion in the courtyard of Gaza's al-Ahli Hospital. Roll the tape.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Giraffe poo seized after woman wanted to use it to make a necklace
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Helicopter sound arouses crocodiles
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Woman sues Disney over 'injurious wedgie'
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Emotional support alligator turned away from baseball stadium
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Europe's oldest shoes found in Spanish caves
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Artworks stolen by Nazis returned to heirs of cabaret performer
It wasn't all bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published