Trump congratulates Egypt's Sisi after what critics call a sham election

Supporters of President Abdel-fattah al-Sisi wave a giant national flag as they celebrate after the election commission announced the presidential election results in Cairo, Egypt. Photos / AP

US President Donald Trump congratulated Egyptian President Abdel-fattah al-Sisi on his landslide re-election victory, the White House said - an election critics derided as a sham that all but guaranteed Sisi a second term in office.

The statement is another signal of the Trump Administration's stated goal to improve relations with Egypt after his predecessor Barack Obama declined to invite Sisi to the White House because of concerns about his human rights record.

It comes shortly after Trump faced widespread pushback for congratulating another foreign leader, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who similarly won a race that was broadly criticised as neither free nor fair.

"The two leaders affirmed the strategic partnership between the United States and Egypt, and noted that they look forward to advancing this partnership and addressing common challenges," the White House said in a statement.

In his bid for a second four-year term, Sisi won with more than 97 per cent of the vote in an election that drew about 41 per cent turnout, according to AP. The vote was held last week.

He faced no serious opponent, with all credible challengers pushed out of the race; Lieutenant-General Sami Annan and Colonel Ahmed Konsowa, both former military commanders, had been accused of breaking military regulations by announcing their presidential bids, and former prime minister Ahmed Shafik was reportedly intimidated after he had announced his intentions to run for president.

An election banner for Egyptian President Abdel-fattah al-Sisi with Arabic that reads, "you are the hope," in Cairo.

Trump has previously stressed his desire for close relations with the Egyptian leader, welcoming Sisi to the White House last April and praising his leadership during the Oval Office meeting as a "fantastic job in a very difficult situation."

Before that meeting, the last time an Egyptian leader visited the White House was when Hosni Mubarak met Obama in August 2009.

"I just want to let everybody know, in case there was any doubt, that we are very much behind President al-Sisi," Trump said during last April's meeting, adding: "We are very much behind Egypt and the people of Egypt . . . . We have strong backing."

Since then, Trump and Sisi have communicated on a range of security and economic matters.

Last month, the two leaders discussed the crisis in Syria, as well as what the White House called "Russia and Iran's irresponsible support of the Assad regime's brutal attacks against innocent civilians."

The hashtag #كدابين which means liar is being used to denounce Egypt's sham elections. It's the top trending hashtag in Egypt and is trending worldwide. The govt declared Sisi the winner with over 97% of the vote. #EgyptElection2018

— Timothy E Kaldas (@tekaldas) April 2, 2018

Again! Trump congratulates Egypt’s el-Sissi after rigged election win https://t.co/MfgvqBkNpS pic.twitter.com/3IvURW1i1V

— Talking Points Memo (@TPM) April 2, 2018