The President of the Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa has extended warmest congratulations to Abdel Fattah El-Sisi upon his successful election as the President of Egypt following the conclusion of the Presidential Elections held from 10 – 12 December 2023.
According to his congratulatory call on Tuesday, the President said this historic elections reflect the will of the people of Egypt in charting their future, also commended the other candidates for participating in the elections in a gracious and commendable manner.
The South African Government reiterated its commitment to continue working with the Government and people of Egypt for the mutual benefit of the two countries, to build strong people-to-people ties, and collaborate together in consolidation of the African Agenda.
Ramaphosa further wished to congratulate the National Election Authority of Egypt and all national stakeholders for their collective efforts in ensuring a conducive environment in which the elections were conducted.
The President also noted of the observations of the AU- COMESA Joint Observer Mission. “The South African Government looks forward to further strengthening bilateral relations with the Government of Egypt”, he said.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Monday won a third term in office, earning 89.6% of the vote, the National Elections Authority said in a statement.
Egyptians voted last week in an election eclipsed by the war in neighboring Gaza, with incumbent El-Sisi guaranteed another term in the absence of a serious challenger, despite growing economic woes. His strongest competitor picked up about 4.5% of the vote, officials said.
El-Sisi, a former army chief, came to power about a decade ago after leading overthrow of elected but divisive Islamist President Mohamed Morsi amid mass protests. In the 2014 and the 2018 elections, El-Sisi won landslide victories of 97% percent of the vote.
Three little-known candidates are running against him: Farid Zahran, head of the left-leaning Egyptian Social Democratic party; Abdel Sanad Yamama, of Egypt’s oldest party Al Wafd; and Hazem Omar, head of the Republican People’s Party.