Egypt's Sisi cruises towards victory in subdued election

Egyptians cast their ballots on the third and final day of a presidential election expected to give President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi a sweeping victory

Egyptians cast their ballots on December 12 on the third and final day of a presidential election expected to give President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi a sweeping victory and a new six-year term in the absence of real competition.

Many Egyptians have shown little interest in the election, saying they believe that voting will make little difference, although authorities and commentators on tightly controlled local media continued urging them to cast ballots out of national duty until polls closed at 9 p.m. (1900 GMT).

"I will not vote because I am sick of this country," said 27-year-old taxi driver Hossam, who said his quality of life had deteriorated under Mr. Sisi's decade-long rule.

"When they hold a real election I will go out and vote," he said.

Results are expected on Dec. 18.

The election, which began on Sunday, is Mr. Sisi's third since taking power after the 2013 overthrow of Egypt's first popularly elected president Mohamed Mursi. An Islamist, Mursi won the presidency a year after the toppling of long-ruling autocrat Hosni Mubarak in a popular uprising.

International monitors have criticised Egypt's human rights record under Mr. Sisi's rule, accusing the government of repressing political freedoms during a crackdown in which rights groups say tens of thousands, many from Mursi's Muslim Brotherhood, have been jailed.