Cairo ( CNN ) -- Former Egyptian military chief Abdel Fattah el-Sisi is poised to win his country 's presidential election in a landslide -- though the legitimacy of his victory is already being questioned . Exit polls suggest el-Sisi won 95.3 % of the vote , while opponent Hamdeen Sabahy garnered only 4.7 % , according to data from the Egyptian Center for Public Opinion Research and the Egyptian TV channel MBC Masr . Egypt 's state-run Ahram Online news agency reported an even more lopsided margin , based on unofficial results , with Sabahy only getting 3.5 % of the vote . The final results will be announced by Saturday or Sunday , according to the same agency . Sabahy , el-Sisi 's lone competitor , conceded defeat in a press conference Thursday , acknowledging , `` It is time to respect the people 's choice and admit my loss . '' He did n't embrace the process -- including allegations his campaign representatives were attacked and detained , that el-Sisi 's representatives were allowed inside polling stations and claims of forgery -- according to Ahram . `` We can not give any credibility or ratification to the announced numbers of turnout or results , '' Sabahy said . `` The announced results are an insult to the intelligence of the Egyptians . '' Turnout at 48 % despite extra day of voting . The election was called amid a turbulent political year in Egypt that saw Mohamed Morsy -- the country 's first democratically elected president following the ouster of longtime leader Hosni Mubarak -- himself removed from power in July in a military coup . El-Sisi , who was army chief at the time , stepped down from his military post this year to run for president . Analysts have said that -- in order to demonstrate his legitimacy -- el-Sisi would want to beat the turnout rate of the 2012 presidential elections , which was 46 % in the first round and increased to 51.8 % . As it turned out , the country seemingly struggled to get voters to the polls this week . Officials even tacked on a third day of voting Wednesday -- a move both campaigns challenged -- in an attempt to boost turnout . Presidential Elections Commission member Tarek Shebi ended up putting the final turnout figure at 48 % , according to Ahram Online -- hardly a resounding number . El-Sisi 's campaign hailed the election on its official Facebook page , saying that all those involved helped `` bedazzle '' the world . `` The nation has put itself , with its great people 's will , on the beginning of the right track and has stepped firmly and trustingly ... towards the future they 've chosen , '' the campaign post said , according to Ahram . It is a future that -- at least for now -- will not include the Muslim Brotherhood , the Islamist group that Morsy belonged to and that has been banned and declared a terrorist organization since his ouster . To this end , interim President Adly Mansour issued a decree Thursday canceling Morsy 's pardoning of 52 Islamists -- including nine Brotherhood leaders and 18 jihadists -- tied to a failed 1995 assassination attempt on Mubarak . For full coverage of the Egyptian election in Arabic , visit CNN Arabic . CNN 's Holly Yan , Salma Abdelaziz , Reza Sayah and Dina Amer contributed to this report .
Report : Losing candidate concedes defeat , challenges the ` ` credibility of the vote . NEW : Report : Turnout was 48 % , below the figure for the last round of the 2012 election . NEW : Interim president cancels pardons of 52 people , including Brotherhood leaders . Ex - military chief El - Sisi won overwhelmingly , according to exit polls and official results .