Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was declared the victor in Egypt's presidential election Tuesday, winning the election with 96.9 percent of the vote. 

Sisi, a former army chief, said in a speech Tuesday that he aims to achieve freedom and "social justice" in the conflict-ravaged country. 

Sisi made the speech after election officials announced that he received a landslide majority of the vote, leaving left-wing candidate Hamdeen Sabahi with only 3.1 percent of the total vote, BBC News reports. 

Sisi has faced fierce opposition from the Muslim Brotherhood ever since he overthrew Brotherhood-backed President Mohammed Morsi. The Brotherhood urged a boycott of the election, which they called an "election of blood."

The April 6 youth movement, which was instrumental in the 2011 revolution that overthrew Hosni Mubarak, and liberal activists condemned the boycott as an attempt to limit civil liberties. 

Government officials and journalists clapped and danced when the election results were announced at a press conference in Cairo Tuesday. 

Thousands of supporters of the new president-elect celebrated in Tahirir Square, with some setting off fireworks. 

Later, in a television broadcast, Sisi thanked voters, saying it's now "time to work."

"Our co-operation in work and construction will lead to prosperity and luxury," he added. 

King Abdullah, the king of Saudi Arabia, said it was an "historic day" after a "period of chaos." Abdullah, a staunch Egyptian ally, said he would organize a donor conference to help Egypt rebound from its economic crisis following the 2011 protests and subsequent political unrest. 

The Saudis, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have promised the interim government, which is backed by the military, almost $12 billion in financial aid. 

Sisi won the election despite the low turnout of 47.45 percent, which is lower that Sisi had hoped for after the polls were opened for an additional third day. 

Sisi declared that he wanted 40 million, or 74 percent of Egyptians, to cast ballots, but turnout was well below expectations. 

While government officials said the election was fair and democratic, three international observers had some criticisms of the election environment, including an allegation that the final voting percentages were inflated. The three critics were thrown out of an Egyptian-led press conference Saturday. 

Sisi will lead a country mired in economic distress and poverty, as well as frequent political controversy and violence. Islamist militants have killed hundreds of security personnel over the past year in response to the crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood and their allies. More than 1,400 people have been killed in the clashes between Brotherhood supporters and the government, and around 16,000 have been detained. 

Morsi and the Brotherhood, which has now been declared a terrorist group, deny any wrongdoing. 

Critics are afraid that Sisi will squash dissent, as the interior ministry announced Monday that the administration has plans to increase Internet surveillance to screen citizens from "dangers," which they say range from terrorism to the "mockery" of government officials. 

Despite critics' worries, a majority of the Egyptian electorate supports Sisi. 

"He will bring back security and will bring the institutions of the country together," Ayman Iskandar, a 42-year-old silversmith from Cairo, told The Guardian. 

Sisi will be sworn in as president Saturday at a ceremony that will include Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. 

Egyptian-Iranian relations have been tense since the Morsi administration, and Rouhani's attendance at the ceremony could signal the warming of relations between the two countries.