Egyptians are readying to vote in presidential elections in a week's time, just over seven years after mass protests ousted strongman leader Hosni Mubarak, yet the outcome, with only one serious candidate running, is already clear.

Key points: Mr Sisi's only challenger is a little known politician — himself a supporter of Mr Sisi

Mr Sisi's only challenger is a little known politician — himself a supporter of Mr Sisi Critics accuse Mr Sisi of grave human rights abuses and crushing dissent

Critics accuse Mr Sisi of grave human rights abuses and crushing dissent Some still see Mr Sisi as a guarantor of stability and security despite hardships

The incumbent, Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi — who swept to power as the head of the military in 2013 on the back of enormous demonstrations against the divisive but democratically-elected Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi — is assured of victory.

The former military general's only challenger is the obscure and little known politician Moussa Mostafa Moussa, himself a supporter of Mr Sisi — his candidacy was submitted at the last minute in what critics describe as a face-saving measure by the Government to show a veneer of democracy.

Sami Anan, the former deputy chairman of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces which took control of Egypt when Mr Mubarak stepped down, boldly announced he would run for president in January.

But Mr Anan was soon after arrested and has remained in detention since — the Government claims he had violated military rules by attempting to run.

'A red line that won't be tolerated'

Mr Sisi's posters hang on al-Ghad party headquarters' building — the party of the only other candidate, Mr Moussa. ( Supplied: Hamada Elrasam )

Other candidates including leftist lawyer Khaled Ali and Mohamed Anwar Sadat, nephew of the late president of the same name, both withdrew citing harassment of campaign staff and an environment not conducive to free or fair elections.

Michael Wahid Hanna, a senior fellow at The Century Law Foundation and expert on Egyptian politics, told the ABC that while the regime initially opted for multi-candidate elections they were unwilling to accept outright dissent.

"It's not that they saw it as a threat but they don't want that kind of opening and potential criticism … Anan running crossed a red line that won't be tolerated."

Ahmed Mohamed, a researcher on Egypt for Amnesty International, said if Mr Anan had been able to have space in the media, he would have been able to gain a considerable amount of votes.

"The amount of human rights violations that have been committed since the arrival of Sisi to power made him lose a considerable amount of his popularity as president and this pours into the cup of other candidates," Mr Mohamed told the ABC.

'It's the easiest way to isolate people from justice'

Mr Sisi's Government has ruthlessly crushed dissent, seven years after January 2011 mass protests. ( Reuters: Steve Crisp, File )

Many hoped the end of Mr Mubarak's three-decade rule in 2011 would usher in a new era of accountability with greater social and political freedoms.

A flourishing civil society and greater press freedoms initially emerged, coupled with activists harnessing social media to powerful and instantaneous affect to document abuse and organise protests.

The lack of coordination and organisation between revolutionary groups meant elections came and went without any consolidated gains.

The one-year rule of the Muslim Brotherhood under Mr Morsi proved divisive and he was overthrown in a military coup following another mass popular uprising, leading to the harshest crackdown on rights and freedoms in Egypt's modern history, according to rights groups and analysts.

Following the overthrow of Mr Morsi and Mr Sisi's formalisation of power in 2014, where he was overwhelmingly elected as President in a vote that critics say was unfair, the state has ruthlessly crushed dissent.

Members of the Muslim Brotherhood and supporters of Morsi were crushed following Mr Sisi's 2013 rise. ( Reuters: Amr Abdallah Dalsh, file )

Protests were outlawed in 2013 and human rights groups and NGOs have had their activities severely restricted by a law banning foreign funding.

The dragnet has also included journalists, with Egypt regularly ranking as the third highest jailer of media workers in the world — in early March, Mr Sisi said defaming the army or police amounted to treason.

His comments came just over a week after a BBC investigation on alleged torture and forced disappearances at the hands of security services outraged Egyptian authorities, with the General Prosecutor saying his department would take action against foreign media outlets publishing "fake news".

The BBC is now facing a lawsuit against it calling for the closure of its Cairo bureau with the first court case set for April 10.

Rights groups also say disappearances have been a common feature of Mr Sisi's rule and that tens of thousands of individuals have been jailed on trumped up or false charges, with mass death sentences also having been issued.

Safaa Morsy, 49, a housewife in Alexandria holds an old photo of her husband who is on death row. ( Abdelrahman Mohamed )

"A main pillar of this state of exception is the idea of the trumped up charges … the current regime cannot survive without this technique — it's the easiest way to isolate people from justice mechanisms," Mr Mohamed from Amnesty said.

The Government, however, has denied people are forcibly disappearing and Mr Sisi himself has claimed that violence at the hands of security services only includes isolated incidents.

A choice between security and freedom

The aftermath of an explosion that took place at a Coptic church on Palm Sunday in 2017 in Tanta, Egypt. ( Reuters: Mohamed Abd El Ghany )

But Mr Sisi's once astronomical popularity and cult of personality has gradually decreased in recent years, though independent polling is banned so an accurate figure on his popularity is difficult to gauge.

He has carried out tough economic reforms including the cutting of important subsidies and the flotation of the Egyptian pound to gain approval for a $US12 billion International Monetary Fund loan causing severe inflation.

A 2016 decision by the Egyptian Government to hand two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia also caused widespread outrage.

But many Egyptians, including the middle-class and poor who have been hit hardest by the economic reforms and steep rise in the cost of basic goods, still see Mr Sisi as a guarantor of stability.

Since coming to power he has promised security above all following years of protests and an ongoing deadly Islamic insurgency in North Sinai, which saw an uptick in 2013 following Mr Morsi's removal.

The insurgency, which is being carried out by Islamist insurgents who pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2014, has killed around 1,000 security personnel —the group has also claimed responsibility for a string of deadly church bombings and a devastating attack on a Sufi mosque that killed hundreds of worshippers.

'We lose battles but the war is not finished'

Sorry, this video has expired Militants killed more than 300 people at a mosque in North Sinai. (Image: AP)

Many residents have complained of a scorched-earth policy being employed by security services, with little distinction being made between militants and civilians caught up in the crossfire — journalists and researchers have been barred from entering North Sinai for years so independent verification of developments are near impossible.

"If you ask the people to choose between security and freedom they would probably choose security," Mahienour El-Massry, a rights lawyer and prominent revolutionary figure, told the ABC.

"There are no protests or demonstrations but that doesn't mean people like Sisi, it's much less than before but people believe that the revolutionaries only want to be against the system," she said.

While most observers agree Mr Sisi will likely remain largely dominant in the coming years and that talked of amendments to the constitution may abolish presidential term limits, they don't rule out some form of civilian power.

"People will not stop looking for alternatives and for ways to enhance their lives … no one imagined that the 25th of January [uprising] would happen. But it did happen," Mr Mohamed said.

"There are ups and downs," Ms ElMassry, who herself has been jailed three times for her activism, said.

"For me, the revolution is like a war … maybe we lose the battles but the war itself is not finished."