Voting begins for Egypt's presidential election

A voter registers before voting at a polling station in Giza, Egypt, Dec. 10, 2023. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

CAIRO, Dec. 10 (Xinhua) -- Voting for Egypt's presidential election began at 9:00 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) on Sunday nationwide, with four candidates contesting, including incumbent President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.

More than 9,000 polling stations across the country will be open 12 hours per day until Tuesday to some 67 million eligible voters, following the overseas ballot, which concluded on Dec. 3.

Sisi, who is running for a third consecutive term, won the elections both with an overwhelming majority in 2014 and 2018.

The other three contestants are the Social Democratic Party's Farid Zahran, the Egyptian Al-Wafd Party's Abdel Sanad Yamama and the People's Republican Party candidate Hazem Omar.

Egypt's National Election Authority (NEA) said the election process is being overseen by 15,000 Egyptian judges along with thousands of local and foreign observers.

The NEA is expected to call a winner outright on Dec. 18 if a candidate receives an absolute majority in the first round of voting, without the need to enact a run-off.

If the race enters a second round of voting, the final result could be announced as late as Jan. 16, according to the NEA.

This photo taken on Dec. 7, 2023 shows posters of presidential candidate and incumbent Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi near the Giza Pyramids in Giza, Egypt. In Egypt, the presidential ballot will take place from Dec. 10 to Dec. 12. If no run-off is required, the results will be announced on Dec. 18. (Xinhua/Sui Xiankai)

Polling stations were running smoothly amid a high turnout at the start of the voting, NEA Executive Director Ahmed Bendari said Sunday morning. A long queue was seen outside a polling station in the Maadi district, Cairo.

Mahmoud Ibrahim, an engineer, told Xinhua that he valued the chance to vote in a presidential race that bears the future of his nation at a time of huge turmoil in the region.

"We need to unite and defend our nation from all kinds of challenges and potential threats," he said after stepping out of the station, without revealing the name of his favorite.

Ahmed Solaiman, 60, a voter from Arish City of North Sinai Province, said he pinned hope on the coming president to work on fixing youth unemployment.

"I've come to vote for the sake of peace, stability and security of my country, hoping that the economy and living conditions will improve. We see some improvement, but we are looking forward to the best," Umm Mohamed Tawfik, a housewife from Cairo, said at a polling station.