Presidential elections were held in Egypt on 13 October 1981 following the assassination of President Anwar Sadat on 6 October. House of Representatives speaker Sufi Abu Taleb became acting president until the new president was elected. The vote took the form of a referendum on the candidacy of vice president and interim prime minister Hosni Mubarak. According to the official results, 98% of voters voted in favour of Mubarak with voter turnout reported to be 81%.[1]