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In Photos: Election Day Highlights Egypt's Obsession With El-Sisi

His portrait is everywhere — buildings, cars, coffee shops, outfits. "Sisi chocolate'" exists too.
Photo by Jonathan Rashad

Waking up to nonstop pro­-military songs has become ritual across the city.

Just walk down the street in Cairo anywhere and I guarantee that you would hear those songs and anthems in every neighborhood.

Egyptians are obsessed with presidential candidate and former Field Marshal Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. His portrait is everywhere — buildings, cars, coffee shops, outfits. "Sisi chocolate'" exists too.

No surprises expected in Egypt's election as El-Sisi heads for a landslide. Read more here.

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Sisi is considered an 'icon' for many, ­ maybe for most of Egyptians, following the ouster of the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi in July 2013. The extreme festive atmosphere towards el­-Sisi and the military has been going on since then.

As I covered the voting process from the early morning, I didn't see a single billboard or poster of the other candidate. I even saw voters holding posters of Sisi outside polling stations. Final results should be announced on June 5.

All photos by Jonathan Rashad

An Egyptian military conscript stands outside a polling station in the Garden City suburb of Cairo on the first day of presidential elections on May 26, 2014 in Cairo, Egypt.

An Egyptian police officer walks through a queue of Egyptian voters on the first day of presidential elections in the Garden City suburb of Cairo.

An Egyptian voter puts the ballot paper in the ballot box in a polling station in the Gamaliya suburb of Cairo.

International and Egyptian street artists join forces against Sisi. Read more here.

A banner of candidate Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on display in the Gamaliya suburb of Cairo.

The other guy running for president in Egypt could really use your Vote. Read more here.

Poster of presidential candidate Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attached by supporters of Sisi into a baby wheel cart outside a polling station in the Shobra suburb of Cairo on the first day of elections.

Supporters of Sisi celebrate in advance outside a polling station in the Shobra suburb of Cairo.