Now the hard work begins

General Abdel Fattah Al Sisi’s winning of the Egyptian presidential election was a foregone conclusion right from the start.

His election by a landslide — 92 per cent of the votes — was not a big surprise, since his sole competitor was a political lightweight who, realistically, did not stand a chance against Sisi.

What did surprise however — probably observers as much as Sisi himself, who was expecting about 74 per cent of the 54 million registered voters to come to the ballot boxes — was the turnout, which stood at around 44 per cent, and this figure after the election was extended to a third day.

The below-expectation voter turnout should be taken as discontent, on the part of many, with Sisi who was quite vague about how he was going to embark on change in this populous Arab country facing difficult economic problems.

It could embolden the Muslim Brotherhood if the new president fails to better Egyptians’ lives.

But now that the election is over and the country is poised to, hopefully, enjoy a new era of stability and security, Egyptians should give the man the benefit of the doubt, pool their resources together and work to improve their lot.

At the same time, the new leader is expected to make his views on regional issues more clear.

Egypt has always been a regional power and a pivotal state in our troubled region.

What Cairo says and does in regards to the many problems plaguing the Middle East — especially in  Palestine and Syria — is important and influential.

So far, Egypt has been quite silent on regional issues, but that is expected to change. Foremost among these issues is the fate of Gazans, blockaded on all sites by Israel and denied entry into Egypt for not very convincing reasons at times.

To be sure, local matters will continue to be the dominant concern. The Egyptian economy has suffered a great deal over the past three years because of the political instability.

Poverty and unemployment will no doubt top the agenda of the new leadership, as should tourism, a major source of income for the country, now very much affected by the political developments.

Egyptians must now be eagerly waiting for a rapid redress of their woes, so there is quite a lot on Sisi’s plate.

His is not an easy job. He needs to work hard to prove that people’s trust in him was not misplaced and, above all, needs to come up with good plans to ensure that the nation feels a positive change through his advent to power.