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.
