France wishes Egypt's Sisi success in new term

PARIS – 4 April 2018: France on Tuesday wished Abdel Fattah al-Sisi success for his next presidential term in Egypt and said it stood "resolutely" with the country on the fight against terrorism.

Sisi, who had no real opposition, was re-elected for a second term with 97 percent of the vote, official returns showed.

"France offers its wishes for the full success of President Sisi for his second mandate," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Agnes Von Der Muhll said in a daily briefing.

"It hopes that his reelection will allow him to satisfy the legitimate aspirations of the Egyptian people for security, prosperity and the full expression of freedoms in a constitutional framework," she said without elaborating.

With both France and Egypt concerned by the political vacuum in Libya and the threat from jihadist groups in Egypt, the two countries have cultivated even closer economic and military ties under Sisi.