Egypt

As expected, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has secured re-election, the country’s electoral authority said Monday. With 89.6 percent of the vote, al-Sisi is declared the winner of the presidential election and is gaining support for his third term after coming to power a decade ago in the wake of a coup against democratically elected President Mohamed Mursi. Sisi’s victory was considered certain in advance. “There was no choice,” said Hossam Bahgat, head of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights. “Sisi used the entire state apparatus and security services to ensure that no serious challenger ran for office.” Sisi was up against three other candidates, none of them particularly prominent names. /ritzau