Egyptians began casting their ballots on Monday. President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi is running against just one other candidate, Mousa Mostafa Mousa, after several others quit the race. The opposition has blamed Sisi's government for squeezing potential rivals through what they see as a strategy of intimidation, but Sisi has denied the accusation. This is the country's third presidential election since former leader Hosni Mubarak was ousted in the Arab Spring protests of 2011. It was hoped the toppling of a dictator who had ruled for nearly 30 years would bring a new era of democracy in the Middle East's most populous country. Instead, the country was thrown into further political turmoil.
Joining us for this conversation is:
• Ebrahim Deen is a researcher at the Afro Middle East Centre
• Timothy Kaldas from the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy
• Dr Shingai Mutuzwa-Mangiza is a research fellow at the politics department at the University of the Western Cape
