Egyptians head to polls with Sisi poised for third term as president

Citizens vote as country wrestles with economic crisis, war in Gaza on its border

CAIRO - Egyptians began voting on Dec 10 in a presidential election set to hand Mr Abdel Fattah al-Sisi a third term in power, as the country grapples with an economic crisis and the Israel-Hamas war on its border with Gaza.

If Mr Sisi wins a new six-year term, his immediate priorities would be taming near-record inflation, managing a chronic foreign currency shortage and preventing spillover from the conflict between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers.

Voting, which runs from 9am until 9pm, is spread over three days, with results due to be announced on Dec 18.

Patriotic songs played on a loop as polling stations opened on the morning of Dec 10 in Cairo, where pictures of Mr Sisi have proliferated in the weeks leading up to the election. Riot police were deployed at entrances to Tahrir Square in the centre of the capital.

Critics see the election as a sham after a decade-long crackdown on dissent. The government's media body has called it a step towards political pluralism.

Three candidates qualified to stand against Mr Sisi in the election, none of them high-profile figures.