Egyptians will head to the polls March 26-28 to cast their votes in a presidential election that critics in and outside of Egypt have branded a "sham." Political analysts say the election is a mere formality, since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is guaranteed a second term in office after eliminating would-be rival candidates from the race.

In recent weeks, all serious candidates have either been arrested, prosecuted or intimidated out of the race, leaving Sisi to face a sole “challenger,” who ironically is a staunch Sisi supporter. Moussa Mustafa Moussa, the rival contender in question, is a little-known politician who heads the centrist Al Ghad Party. Moussa’s 11th-hour participation in the race is widely perceived as a face-saving effort to legitimize the election and spare Sisi the embarrassment of a one-candidate referendum.

Sami Anan, the former armed forces chief of staff and presidential hopeful, was the last major challenger to Sisi before being arrested on charges of forgery, inciting against the army and running in the election without seeking prior permission from the military. Anan’s right-hand man in the campaign, former top auditor Hisham Geneina, was physically assaulted by knife-wielding thugs outside his home in what his lawyer and family members claimed was a failed kidnapping and assassination attempt. Geneina later revealed that he had been on his way to appeal the disqualification of Anan from the election when he was attacked.

Alarmed by the brutal crackdown on the would-be opposition candidates, Egyptian opposition leaders held a press conference to call for a boycott of the election, which they described as a “farce" and an "absurdity.” The opposition leaders — members of the Civil Democratic Movement, a coalition of seven leftist and liberal parties and 150 pro-democracy activists — defiantly urged voters to stay home rather than participate in a "charade." Leftist politician Hamdeen Sabahi, who ran against Sisi in the 2014 elections, insisted the election be called off.