With unofficial results in, Egyptian authorities say President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has secured the expected landslide victory in the country’s presidential election.

Sisi has received more than 90 percent of votes cast, with turnout at more than 40 percent of the country’s 59 million registered voters, according to state television. His lone challenger, Ghad Party leader Moussa Mostafa Moussa, has received 3 percent.

Counting votes began as the polls closed late Wednesday, local media outlets said. The National Election Authority plans a press conference on Monday to announce the final tally.

The election has gone smoothly so far, officials said, with no reports of clashes or violence amid tight security, especially in parts of the country with ongoing security challenges.

Sisi announced his intention to stand for re-elections on January 19, and has campaigned on security issues and the promise to invest in Egyptian science and technology. Yet Egyptian human rights observers say his campaign has relied on arrests and intimidation – the fate of at least three potential challengers, as well as opposition supporters – and less on meaningful policies to improve life for the country’s people.

International NGO Human Rights Watch and more than a dozen other organizations said last month that Egypt’s election process failed to meet even the minimum standards for free and fair elections. There are 54 local NGOs with election observation status, and another 15 approved international observers.

Images: NEA