Archive for Mansour Hassan

Mansour Hassan, stalwart of former President Anwar Sadat’s regime, dies

by admin
December 22nd, 2012

 

Mansour Hassan, a veteran Egyptian politician who headed an advisory council to the once ruling military generals, passed away on Saturday. He was 75 years old.

His son Mohamed told Al-Masry Al-Youm that Hassan passed away Saturday afternoon, adding that the time of his funeral will be decided soon.

Hassan was born in 1937 and rose to become one of former President Anwar Sadat’s top aides in the 1970s. He was one of the main figures involved in founding the National Democratic Party in 1978. Sadat appointed him minister of information and culture in 1970 and minister of state for presidential affairs in 1981.

He was the chairman of the Advisory Council of Egypt between 8 September 2011 and 8 March 2012 and was close to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.

Last March, he announced his intention to run in the first presidential elections after the fall of Mubarak, an announcement that was widely criticized by liberal and secular forces, due to his close ties with SCAF.

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Revolutionary Youth Coalition supports Sabbahi for president

by admin
May 14th, 2012

The Revolutionary Youth Coalition announced Monday that it will endorse Hamdeen Sabbahi for president.

The coalition called for uniting efforts against "the remnants of the ousted regime" seeking to reproduce Mubarak's regime.

The announcement was made by Sabbahi's campaign at a briefing attended by many of his supporters.

A coalition member, Nasser Abdel Hamid, said that the coalition's situation in the presidential election is the same as its situation in the parliamentary elections.

Abdel Hamid said in a briefing that the coalition does not think that the presidential election would be a magic key to solving the problems in Egypt.

The coalition is sure that Egypt is on the verge of new transitional period beginning in July and the coalition will back the winning president if he is good, even if he is not the candidate that it supports, he added.

Political activist Israa Abdel Fattah demanded that everyone supports their candidate without defaming other candidates or replying to attacks against their candidate.

"We support a civilian state and we support the candidate of the revolution, Sabbahi, who is one of us,” she said. “We will not allow a candidate of the ousted regime to be a president."

Hamdi Qandil also announced his support for Sabbahi, saying that the support of the coalition is important because they can create the future the same way they created the revolution before.

Director Khaled Youssef along with Mansour Hassan, the head of the military council’s Advisory Council, novelist Bahaa Taher, Mamdouh Hamza, George Ishaq, and author Alaa Al Aswany have all announced their support for Sabbahi.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
 

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Wafd Party to support Moussa for president

by admin
April 4th, 2012

The liberal Wafd Party’s supreme authority decided Tuesday to endorse Amr Moussa for president, following a six-hour discussion.

The party had announced last month it would support presidential hopeful Mansour Hassan, the former head of the Advisory Council who later withdrew from the race.

Abdel Aziz al-Nahhas, the party’s assistant secretary general, said the party’s supreme authority and parliamentary bloc had to either endorse a presidential candidate or wait until other hopefuls express intent to run.

Nahhas added that party leader Al-Sayed al-Badawy said Moussa had asked for the party’s support.

The party also called a meeting for all political groups to be held Thursday at the Wafd’s headquarters to endorse Moussa.

Moussa served as Mubarak’s foreign minister from 1991 to 2001, and then as Arab League secretary general from 2001 until last May.

Young activists have repeatedly protested at Moussa’s campaign rallies, starting when he announced his intention to run for president at El Sawy Culture Wheel last March. These disturbances eventually prompted Moussa to issue a statement in May accusing “rioters” of concocting a plan to disrupt his campaign.

In March, the Wafd Party announced its support for Moussa, then stepped back from the decision when Hassan said he would run.

Last month, Hassan said he would not run for president because of a lack of support due to divisions between and within political forces. The former minister under Anwar Sadat explained that after reassessing the circumstances, he realized he would not be able to achieve the political consensus he believes in.

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Update: Hassan decides against presidential run, Wafd will switch to Moussa

by admin
March 25th, 2012

Mansour Hassan, the former head of the Advisory Council to the ruling military junta, has said he will not run for president, citing a lack of support due to divisions between and within political forces.

In a statement on Sunday, Hassan said that after reassessing the circumstances, he realized he would not be able to achieve the political consensus he believes in.

“Political forces that had announced their endorsement of me were divided,” he said. “Other groups informed me they will not be able to endorse me due to internal conflicts.

“What assists me in my decision is the presence of several respectful [presidential] hopefuls,” he added.

Following Hassan’s announcement, the Wafd Party is leaning toward supporting former Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, according a number of party leaders.

The party's supreme board previously declared Hassan as its preferred candidate for president.

Wafd Vice President Bahaa Abu Shakka said Hassan’s decision to withdraw from the race was “that of a seasoned politician who knows where he stands and who doesn’t set off on misguided adventures."

He said he hoped all presidential candidates “with no real chance to win” would follow in Hassan’s footsteps, adding that Hassan’s decision shows his “foresight and unwillingness to create divisions within the political forces that support him.”

Abu Shakka told Al-Masry Al-Youm that “the only person knowledgeable on internal affairs and foreign relations is Amr Moussa, and therefore he is the candidate the party should support in the presidential election.”

He said that in Monday’s meeting, he called on members of party’s executive bureau agree to support Moussa. He went on to say that he would make the same request at Tuesday’s meeting with the party’s supreme board and parliamentary bloc, adding that he expects the party to offer its consent.

Tarek Sabak, the head of Wafd's parliamentary bloc, said, “Mansour Hassan felt the political street was not with him, that his chance of winning was very weak, and that he would not receive support from any of the political forces.”

He also said Wafd would transfer its support to Moussa, as he was “the closest to the Wafd Party’s principles and ideas.”

On Friday, Moussa, considered one of the front-runners in the race, submitted to the Presidential Elections Commission more than 30,000 signatures, which are needed for a non-partisan candidate to run.

Hassan was appointed by the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces in November as head of its civilian Advisory Council, which was tasked with providing guidance to the generals for the remainder of Egypt's post-uprising transitional period. The SCAF accepted his resignation earlier this month when he expressed his intention to run for president.

His joining in the race coincided with a political debate over the need for a consensus candidate. Rumors at the time suggested he would be backed by both the military and the Islamists that dominate Parliament.

Hassan, 75, was a stalwart of former President Anwar Sadat’s regime.

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Mansour Hassan decides not to run for president

by admin
March 25th, 2012

Mansour Hassan, the former head of the Advisory Council to the ruling military junta, has said he will not run for president, citing a lack of support due to divisions between and within political forces.

In a statement on Sunday, Hassan said that after reassessing the circumstances, he realized he would not be able to achieve the political consensus he believes in.

“Political forces that had announced their endorsement of me were divided,” he said. “Other groups informed me they will not be able to endorse me due to internal conflicts.

“What assists me in my decision is the presence of several respectful [presidential] hopefuls,” he added.

Hassan was appointed by the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces in November as head of its civilian Advisory Council, which was tasked with providing guidance to the generals for the remainder of Egypt's post-uprising transitional period. The SCAF accepted his resignation earlier this month when he expressed his intention to run for president.

His joining in the race coincided with a political debate over the need for a consensus candidate. Rumors at the time suggested he would be backed by both the military and the Islamists that dominate Parliament.

Two weeks ago, the Wafd Party’s supreme board announced its endorsement of Hassan, only two days after its executive bureau — an internal body subsidiary to the supreme board — had decided to support former Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa.

Hassan, 75, was a stalwart of former President Anwar Sadat’s regime.

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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I will vote for Mansour Hassan, says Jehan Sadat

by admin
March 14th, 2012

Jehan Sadat, widow of late President Anwar Sadat, criticized the large number of candidates running in the presidential elections, calling for the need to set conditions and standards for candidacy.

“I will vote for Mansour Hassan, for he is a great and promising personality,” she said on the sidelines of a seminar hosted by the Sadat Forum for Peace and Development in Washington, titled “America’s Stakes in a Changing Middle East.”

Regarding her relationship with Suzanne Mubarak, wife of deposed President Hosni Mubarak, Sadat said it was not close.

“We used to talk on the phone every now and then to greet each other on certain occasions,” she said.

On the role of the first lady after the revolution, Sadat said she should have a social function away from politics. “If I was the first lady, I would serve children, women and people with special needs,” she said.

She also said the Islamists should be given more time to achieve what they had promised to do. “We were all afraid of the Islamists, including myself, but the majority of the people voted for them in the first free and fair elections in 30 years,” she said. “They might do good for Egypt.”

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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I will vote for Mansour Hassan, says Jehan Sadat

by admin
March 14th, 2012

Jehan Sadat, widow of late President Anwar Sadat, criticized the large number of candidates running in the presidential elections, calling for the need to set conditions and standards for candidacy.

“I will vote for Mansour Hassan, for he is a great and promising personality,” she said on the sidelines of a seminar hosted by the Sadat Forum for Peace and Development in Washington, titled “America’s Stakes in a Changing Middle East.”

Regarding her relationship with Suzanne Mubarak, wife of deposed President Hosni Mubarak, Sadat said it was not close.

“We used to talk on the phone every now and then to greet each other on certain occasions,” she said.

On the role of the first lady after the revolution, Sadat said she should have a social function away from politics. “If I was the first lady, I would serve children, women and people with special needs,” she said.

She also said the Islamists should be given more time to achieve what they had promised to do. “We were all afraid of the Islamists, including myself, but the majority of the people voted for them in the first free and fair elections in 30 years,” she said. “They might do good for Egypt.”

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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Wednesday’s papers: Competition between presidential hopefuls heats up

by admin
March 14th, 2012

The main headlines in Egypt’s newspapers Wednesday cover heated competition between presidential hopefuls in their early bids, controversy surrounding a national security officer detained by protesting workers after he allegedly called on them to storm the Parliament building, and reports of former Hosni Mubarak regime officials making reconciliation offers for their corruption cases through financial settlements.

The top headline of state-owned newspaper Al-Gomhurriya reads, “Mulid Sidi al-Rayess” in a mocking reference to festivals commemorating saint-like personalities. A sub-headline explains that among the first seekers of a presidential nomination were an undertaker and a cleaning woman, among a host of other unconventional aspirants. On the fourth day of the nomination process, the paper reports that Ahmed Awad al-Saidy — a little-known figure from the newly established Egyptian Nationalist Party — was the first person to submit his preliminary paperwork for the presidency.

Al-Gomhurriya’s headlines also mention that presidential hopeful and moderate Islamist Mohamed Selim al-Awa confronted attempts to disrupt his campaign in Alexandria. And while former Foreign Minister Amr Moussa attended a popular wedding in Sohag, Nasserist-leaning hopeful Hamdeen Sabbahi said he would seek a Coptic Christian, a woman and an Islamist to serve as his vice presidents if elected, the paper says.

In a headline, the paper reports Salafi candidate Hazem Abu Ismail as saying that the elections “won’t pass peacefully, except through the people’s vigilance.” Another moderate Islamist candidate, Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh, stands in solidarity with protesting and hunger-striking students at the German University in Cairo.

In the independent Al-Tahrir newspaper, a headline reads, “Israel forecasts electoral victory for Mansour Hassan in Egyptian presidential election.” The paper cites the Hebrew-language Walla news website, which predicts that Hassan — who served as a minister under President Anwar Sadat — is most likely to end up as Mubarak’s replacement. Walla reportedly praises Hassan as the being the ideal presidential candidate because of what it calls his close ties to Israel and support for the Camp David Accords.

Al-Gomhurriya also runs a front page headline reading, “Electoral bribes have begun being distributed in Port Said — LE30 per letter of notarization … First official complaint lodged against candidate Hossam Khairallah.” According to electoral regulations, each presidential candidate must be a member of a political party, get the endorsement of 30 members of Parliament, or obtain 30,000 notarized signatures from individuals in at least 15 governorates, in order to run.

The independent Al-Dostour newspaper reports, “War of notarizations commences among presidential hopefuls in the governorates.” Also in Al-Dostour is the controversy surrounding Article 28 of the Presidential Elections Law. Article 28 stipulates that the appointed committee supervising these elections be granted complete independence and legal immunity.

In light of this provision, Amr Moussa said, “Article 28 is part of the ploy to handpick a particular candidate for the presidency,” while Sabbahi said, “I refuse Article 28. It is preferable to conduct these elections under leadership other than the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces,” according to the privately owned paper.

The chief headline in independent newspaper Al-Shorouk reads: “Presidential battle explodes among political forces.” The article explains that the choice of presidential candidates has caused discord among the ranks of the Muslim Brotherhood and the liberal Wafd Party, along with the moderate Islamist Wasat Party.

In another of Al-Shorouk’s headlines, “Mubarak’s men in Tora Prison make financial offers in exchange for their freedom.” The article explains that Finance Minister Momtaz al-Saeed has alleged that Mubarak’s ministers and officials have offered financial settlements and monetary compensation in return for their release from prison and dropping corruption charges leveled against them.

While Al-Dostour runs a headline reading, “Finance Ministry: We received offers from Tora inmates to return stolen funds in return for reconciliation in corruption cases,” state-owned Al-Gomhurriya phrases the news in a softer and less incriminating tone, saying, “Finance minister: Tora inmates offer to hand over their properties.”

In other news, protesting workers from the state-owned Petrojet Company apprehended a police officer from the National Security Agency seeking to instigate a conflict between these disgruntled workers and military police forces guarding Parliament, where they had been protesting for their rights.

The largest headline in Al-Tahrir newspaper reads, “The Interior Ministry is the ‘Third Party’” in reference to a common claim by the ruling military council that a “third party” is seeking to destabilize the country and cause discord between the populace and the armed forces. A sub-headline announces, “Protesting workers arrest undercover national security officer seeking to convince them to burn down Parliament.” Another subhead reads: “Officer-provocateur exposes Interior Ministry.”

Brotherhood mouthpiece newspaper Freedom and Justice reports, “Workers arrest national security officer calling on them to storm Parliament.” The article mentions that the leader of the Brotherhood’s parliamentary bloc, Hussein Ibrahim, held Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim personally responsible for such an act of violent instigation. The FJP leader claimed he did not trust the minister and that there would be further parliamentary hearings regarding the fiasco.

As for Al-Gomhurriya, the state-run paper makes only a brief mention of this police debacle in a small article buried in its middle pages.

Egypt’s papers:

Al-Ahram: Daily, state-run, largest distribution in Egypt

Al-Akhbar: Daily, state-run, second to Al-Ahram in institutional size

Al-Gomhurriya: Daily, state-run

Rose al-Youssef: Daily, state-run

Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned

Al-Shorouk: Daily, privately owned

Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party

Youm7: Daily, privately owned

Al-Tahrir: Daily, privately owned

Freedom and Justice: Daily, published by the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party

Sawt al-Umma: Weekly, privately owned

Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Nasserist Party

Al-Nour: Official paper of the Salafi Nour Party

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Brotherhood to soon announce candidate it supports for president

by admin
March 13th, 2012

The Muslim Brotherhood has settled on a presidential candidate who it says is a well-known public figure to support in Egypt’s upcoming presidential election.

Mahmoud Ghozlan, the group’s office spokesperson, told state-run Al-Ahram on Tuesday that the candidate the group will back meets all the criteria it had already established. He said the group will help its chosen candidate get the required approval of 30 MPs, after coordinating with their respective political parties.

The Brotherhood's powerful Freedom and Justice Party controls more than 40 percent of the seats of the upper and lower houses of Parliament combined.

According to the Presidential Elections Law, a non-partisan candidate must gather notarized signatures from 30,000 citizens from 15 provinces or get the support of 30 MPs to be able to run for president. The election is scheduled to be held on 23 and 24 May.

Ghozlan told Al-Ahram that the Brotherhood will not be alone in supporting its candidate, and predicted that other political forces would back him. He said the group’s potential candidate was selected based on moral and patriotic standards sufficient for him to draw support from several parties.

Ghozlan also said the Brotherhood had recently approached a number of public figures about running for president, but many declined for personal reasons.

Commentators say the Brotherhood will back Mansour Hassan, the head of the Advisory Council to Egypt's military rulers and a culture and information minister under late President Anwar Sadat.

In January, FJP denied reports that it had chosen Hassan as its preferred presidential candidate. The group said it was not likely to reveal who the party would support for some time.

On Monday, state-run Al-Akhbar newspaper quoted Younis Makhyoun, a senior member of the Salafi-oriented Nour Party, as saying his party and the FJP would likely coordinate in choosing a candidate to support in the election.

A day earlier, Al-Masry Al-Youm quoted senior Brotherhood official Hassan al-Beshbeeshy as saying the Brotherhood and Salafis are 90 percent sure they will support Hossam al-Gheriany, head of the Supreme Judicial Council, for president.

Other prominent contenders for president include former Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, former Brotherhood leader Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh, and Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq.

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Jama’a al-Islamiya party yet to decide on presidential hopeful

by admin
March 11th, 2012

The Construction and Development Party, Jama’a al-Islamiya’s political arm, will not support any presidential hopeful linked to the former regime or Egypt’s current military leaders, the party has said.

Safwat Abdel Ghany, head of the political office for the party, told independent newspaper Youm7 that the party will announce whose bid it will support in the presidential election after the door is closed to nominations.

Candidates with connections to the former regime or the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Force include former Arab League chief Amr Moussa, former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq and Advisory Council head Mansour Hassan, he said.

The party stands at an equal distance from all Islamist presidential candidates, he added.

The party met with presidential hopeful Abdallah al-Ashal last week. Abdel Ghany said Ashal, a former assistant foreign minister, has adopted several patriotic stances, adding that the party shares certain ideas with the candidate, who has an Islamist frame of reference.

Abdel Ghany said the party plans to hold similar meetings with other candidates. Presidential hopeful Mohamed Selim al-Awa had asked Jama’a al-Islamiya to support his candidacy.

Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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