skip to main content

Egypt's president sworn into office for second term

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi won a landslide election in March
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi won a landslide election in March

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has been sworn into office for a second four-year term after winning an election by a landslide in March.

The 63-year-old former intelligence chief and defence minister overthrew Islamist Mohamed Mursi - Egypt's first freely-elected president - after protests against President Mursi's rule in 2013.

He won 97% of the vote on a turnout of 41%.

The election featured only one other candidate, who was an ardent Sisi supporter, after all serious opposition contenders halted their campaigns in January.

The main challenger was arrested, while other hopefuls pulled out, citing intimidation.

Fighter jets drew an Egyptian flag in the sky above Cairo while military helicopters flew over the capital's centre as the president made his way to parliament - where he was greeted with a 21-gun salute. 

Seven years after the January 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak's regime, President Sisi will have two major challenges to tackle in his second term: security and economic recovery.

Human rights defenders have regularly accused President Sisi of violating public freedoms and suppressing opponents.

Many of his opponents and vocal members of civil society have been arrested in recent months.

Two of those arrested are blogger and journalist Wael Abbas and Shadi Ghazali Harb - one of the youth leaders during the 2011 revolution.

They also include Hazim Abdelazim, who has described his decision to head the youth committee of President Sisi's successful 2014 presidential bid as his "biggest mistake".