Archive for newspaper reports

Sunday’s papers: The judges vs. the president

by admin
November 25th, 2012

The judges’ face-off with President Mohamed Morsy takes the lead in Sunday’s papers, alongside the rest of the aftermath of Morsy’s controversial constitutional declaration that he announced on Thursday, giving himself vast powers.

State-owned Al-Ahram leads the front page with, “A busy day for judges in defying the constitutional declaration.” The newspaper reports that there were different reactions from judges as the majority decided to continue working, while some suspended their work, with courts in Alexandria, Qalyubiya and Beheira governorates refusing to hear cases. The daily newspaper quotes the Supreme Judicial Council as saying that the new constitutional declaration is “an unprecedented violation [of] the independence of the judiciary and its rulings.”

The declaration renders the president’s decrees and laws immune from appeal or cancellation. It also protects both the Shura Council and the Islamist-dominated Constituent Assembly from dissolution by any judicial authority, and extends the constitution-writing body’s mandate by two months. 

Morsy also appointed Talaat Abdallah as prosecutor general in place of Abdel Meguid Mahmoud.

The dismissed prosecutor general threatened to resort to the judiciary to defend his post as and announced that he takes full responsibility for the performance of the Public Prosecution in recent months, according to Al-Ahram.

Abdallah was also quoted in Al-Ahram saying that he would work to restore rights and freedoms and lay the groundwork for law and justice.

On the other hand, Freedom and Justice, the FJP newspaper, is flooded with headlines indicating the people’s support of Morsy’s constitutional declaration, completely ignoring news about judges’ reactions. On the top of the front page, the Brotherhood’s mouthpiece briefly mentions Facebook polls that show support for Morsy’s recent decisions. It reports that 91 percent support Morsy’s decision on Al Jazeera’s Facebook page, 84 percent are in favor of Morsy’s decision on Rasd News’s Facebook page — a Facebook-based news agency — and 74 percent on the “We are all Khaled Saeed” Facebook page.

Below the polls is a headline in bold black typeface announcing, “Sit-ins in governorates and a million-man march on Tuesday in support of the president.”

This headline is followed by “The prosecutor general: Mubarak in front of revolutionary court soon,” a catchy title that is guaranteed to appease many Egyptians who believe Mubarak got away with killing peaceful protesters during the 25 January revolution.

On 2 June, Mubarak and former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly were sentenced to life in prison for failing to prevent the killing the protesters during the 25 January revolution. There was no evidence proving that Mubarak and his aides gave orders to kill peaceful protesters, according to the court.  However, the court said that Mubarak and Adly did not act to stop the deadly crackdown of security forces on peaceful protests, which incriminated them. The verdict sparked protests across Egypt slamming the judiciary and the prosecutor general, and demanding justice.

The revolution protection law included in Morsy’s declaration calls for the retrial of those involved in killing peaceful protesters during the 25 January revolution.

State-run Rose al-Youssef leads with a sensational headline in bold, red font on the center of the front page reading, “Egypt is on fire.”

The daily newspaper reports that five lawsuits were filed against Morsy’s controversial decision, describing him as a “dictator.” The paper also focuses on judges’ reactions, describing them in a headline as, “The judges’ revolution.”

Privately-owned Al-Watan also uses a sensational headline in bold red on the front center of the front page, reading, “The battle of the million-man marches erupt between the revolutionaries and the Brotherhood.”

The newspaper reports that the Muslim Brotherhood will organize a “million-man march” in Abdeen Square on Tuesday to support Morsy’s decisions. “Revolutionary forces” are also organizing several marches on Tuesday, and the paper reports that revolutionaries plan on holding a march to the presidential palace mosques on Friday, dubbing the day, “The people want to retrieve their revolution,” and also intend to hold a sit-in outside the Shura Council and prevent its members from entering.

Private daily Al-Shorouk reports, “Tahrir Square starts a wave of open sit-ins against the president,” noting that dozens of secular groups have announced an open-ended sit-in at Tahrir until the constitutional declaration is annulled and the Constituent Assembly is dissolved.

The paper adds that the clashes between protesters and police that broke out last week on Mohamed Mahmoud Street off of Tahrir Square are continuing. The fighting erupted following protests marking the one-year anniversary of the Mohamed Mahmoud clashes, which left 45 dead and hundreds injured.

Most state-run newspapers failed to mention much about the protests, except the Freedom and Justice newspaper, which ran a headline on the bottom of the front page reading, “Tahrir … is empty.”

The newspaper reports that hundreds of protesters left the square, leaving behind a few tents and bystanders watching the scene. The Brotherhood’s mouthpiece quotes eyewitnesses claiming that “thugs” broke into an apartment opposite the Lycee al-Horeya schoo lbuilding, where most of the clashes are taking place between security forces and protesters. The “thugs” threw rocks, Molotov cocktails and furniture from the apartment on police forces from the balcony despite apartment residents trying to stop them, according to the daily newspaper.

 

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-Watan: Daily, privately owned

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

Youm7: Daily, privately owned

Al-Tahrir: Daily, privately owned

Al-Sabah: 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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Electricity prices haven’t changed since 2008, minister says

by admin
November 18th, 2012

Electricity prices have not changed since 2008, the electricity and energy minister said Sunday.

Electricity and Energy Minister Mahmoud Saad Mahmoud Balbaa denied local newspaper reports that electricity prices have recently gone up, according to state TV. Instead, he said, “The increase that citizens find is a result of a change in consumption patterns over the past few months.”

The current government has expressed a desire to review existing energy subsidies, which totaled over LE111 billion last year.

“The [government-run] electricity sector spends about LE12.5 billion annually to provide houses with subsidized electricity,” Balbaa added. That figure does not include electricity provided to non-residential properties.

This summer, the country witnessed frequent power outages due to high power consumption from air conditioning use. The Cabinet has promised to resolve the energy issue soon.

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Thursday’s papers: Sinai conspiracies and constitution debate

by admin
November 8th, 2012

The repeated attacks on police forces in Sinai and the ongoing investigation of a “terrorist cell” in Nasr City have opened the door for a flood of conspiracy theories and a renewed focus on the deteriorating security situation in the strategic peninsula.

State-run Al-Akhbar newspaper reports that police have captured three additional suspects in the Nasr City case, increasing the total number of suspects to 12.

The interior minister told the paper that investigations indicate the raided Nasr City apartment was a site for theoretical training for the terrorist cell, while the practical training was planned to take place in the Libyan desert.

The minister also said security forces found large amounts of highly explosive material in the apartment.

With “The details of the grand conspiracy on Sinai” as its main headline, privately-owned Al-Watan proceeds to describe multiple dangers surrounding Sinai, accusing police forces of cooperating with militants.

The paper cites security sources in North Sinai as saying that militants are aware of surprise police patrols, which implies they get information from within the security apparatus.

The head of an independent coalition of Sinai tribes Ibrahim al-Menei also told the paper that corrupt policemen collaborate with the militants, and said that the policemen involved are known.

Independent Al-Tahrir newspaper also quotes a security source as saying that recent attacks prove militant groups are targeting security heads in Sinai in a plan to get rid of all senior officers who are investigating them.

The source elaborates that the attacks on police forces are intended to create chaos that would allow militant groups that have been laying low since the start of the military operation in Sinai to resurface and attack police and security stations to seize weapons and files relating to security in Sinai.

Privately-owned Al-Sabah newspaper highlights a related security concern with an investigation claiming, with little proof, that the Israeli Mossad has infiltrated Egyptian universities by teaching Hebrew and is recruiting students.

On another front, debates continue about the Constituent Assembly. While some papers say that it is heading toward consensus over the draft constitution, others highlight ongoing divisions.

According to Al-Sabah, judges will decide today on how they would escalate actions to express their discontent with the position of the judiciary in the constitution draft.

The paper says that the judges would either refuse to supervise the constitution referendum or announce a nationwide strike.

Independent Al-Shorouk newspaper reports that one of the major arguments within the assembly has been resolved.

After weeks of debate regarding the women’s rights article, which conditioned gender equality to the principles of Sharia, the paper reports that the article has been removed with the consent of both the liberal and the Islamic forces in the assembly.

Members of the assembly told the paper that negotiations continue on other controversial articles relating to freedom of religion and the powers of the president.
          
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-Watan: Daily, privately owned

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

Youm7: Daily, privately owned

Al-Tahrir: Daily, privately owned

Al-Sabah: 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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Thursday’s papers: Morsy backs down

by admin
July 12th, 2012

What was billed as an anticipated showdown between the Muslim Brotherhood and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces over the fate of Parliament has ended anticlimacticallywith today’s papers calling in the result: Morsy backed down.

“Morsy calms down” is the headline in private daily Al-Shorouk, with the news that presidential spokesperson Yasser Ali emphasized President Mohamed Morsy’s respect for the judiciary and its rulings. Morsy had issued a decree earlier in the week reconvening the disbanded lower house of Parliament, prompting the Supreme Constitutional Court to issues its own order blocking his.

And that’s where it seems to have ended. Parliament convened in a Tuesday session, during which People's Assembly Speaker Saad al-Katatny also iterated the assembly’s respect for the law and said the body would not convene until a ruling from the Court of Cassation, to which it was referring the matter, independent Al-Tahrir newspaper reports.

The newspaper then quotes the spokesperson and deputy head of the Supreme Constitutional Court Maher Samy as saying that referring the matter to the Court of Cassation is the wrong move. He says the court has the jurisdiction to review membership issues regarding the assembly, but when the law upon which the elections were based is deemed unconstitutional, "that’s a different story."

Privately owned Al-Watan newspaper leads with coverage of the parliamentary impasse. On its front page is also another story about a meeting Morsy held with prominent Egyptian businessmen — some of them with ties to the defunct National Democratic Party — who reportedly warned him that the power struggle with the SCAF would cause investors to steer clear of Egypt.

Just to drive that point home, the newspaper doesn’t stop there, also managing to fit on its front page a story under the headline “The repercussions of Morsy’s earthquake … England, France, Germany and China cancel tourist reservations.” The body of the article goes on to elaborate that tourism companies in the aforementioned countries cancelled their September and October bookings due to Morsy’s temerity in passing a presidential decree about Parliament.

That’s the end of that then, and Morsy jetted off to Saudi Arabia for his first official state visit. The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice newspaper has a two-page spread on his first official state visit under the headline that it confirmed the “historic ties” between the two countries.

The newspaper reports that four issues topped Morsy's agenda during meetings with his Saudi counterparts: Egyptian labor in the kingdom, the Syrian revolution, Gulf security and the economy. There is also mention of Ahmed al-Gizawy, the Egyptian lawyer potentially facing a death sentence in Saudi’s jails. His arrest on drug allegations in April spurred protests in Egypt that prompted many Brotherhood members to travel to the kingdom to grovel for the return of the Saudi ambassador.

State-run Al-Gomhurriya reports that the SCAF has stated it will remain loyal to legitimacy, and that the current impasse is merely a bump in the road that will pass. These were comments made by SCAF head Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi during a ceremony for the transfer of command of the Central Military Zone, which was passed from Hassan al-Roweiny — well known now for his admission of spreading rumors in Tahrir Square during the revolution — to Tawhid Tawfik.

Al-Gomhurriya is one of the few newspapers to talk about Morsy’s potential new cabinet, which the paper reports is to be announced within hours. It claims that the Freedom and Justice Party will hold 35 percent of the posts and that there is a disagreement with the Salafi Nour Party over some of the appointments, specifically the education, health and agriculture ministers. The heads of the three “sovereign” ministries, defense, interior and justice, are to be chosen in consultation with the ministries themselves, surely setting a new precedent in the new Egypt.

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-Watan: 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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Thursday’s papers: I do solemnly swear

by admin
June 29th, 2012

President-elect Mohamed Morsy continues to dominate Egypt’s front pages with his every utterance and step, causing fevered speculation regarding each word’s meaning for the grand scheme of the new Egypt.

The current contrived crisis is the presidential oath, which Morsy is due to take on Saturday morning. Morsy wants to take the oath before Parliament, as the constitution dictates. Seeing as Parliament has been dissolved, the new supplement to the Constitutional Declaration issued by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces stipulates that Morsy swears in to the Supreme Constitutional Court (the body that nullified Parliament). Morsy had been reticent to do so because he doesn’t want to recognize the dissolution of the Muslim Brotherhood-majority Parliament.

State-run Al-Ahram handles this impasse in its typical manner of writing a lot without giving much away, reporting that the time and place of the presidential oath will be announced today, before President-elect Morsy directs his attentions to the country’s traffic concerns. 

Independent paper Al-Shorouk’s take is slightly different, implying that just hours before Morsy is due to take the oath, he himself is not clear on the details of where and when it will take place. The newspaper reports that because of this, the Brotherhood remains in Tahrir Square to support Morsy’s claim for more presidential authorities from the SCAF, whose response has been that it won’t back down on the issue.

Al-Shorouk also reports on clashes that occurred in Tahrir Wednesday morning between a mix of protesters, vendors and thugs that caused injuries in the square. The independent Al-Watan newspaper reports on the story slightly differently, saying that a fight broke out between the vendors and the protesters tried to break it up. Both report that weapons were used during the clashes.

Al-Watan also talks about Morsy’s potential Cabinet, due to be announced on Monday at the latest. The newspaper reports that the Freedom and Justice Party, the Brotherhood’s political arm, is gunning for 15 ministerial posts, including the Finance, Housing and Trade Ministries. The newspaper also reports that the Muslim Brotherhood admitted to negotiating with the SCAF over the Cabinet posts as well as the fate of the dissolved Parliament.

While most newspapers have accepted Morsy’s victory and are reporting on his actions as the president-elect, others are still loath to admit that a member of the Muslim Brotherhood has made it to the presidency. The newspaper that has most firmly refused to accept reality is the independent paper Al-Dostour, which is actually being sued by the FJP for its two-week marathon of headlines whipping up sensationalist stories about how the Brotherhood has been planning to overthrow the state with armed militias that would burn the country to the ground.

Even after the official announcement of Morsy’s victory and the FJP lawsuit, Al-Dostour remains defiant. Its front page functions as a headline generator independent of the news contained within the paper — often, the front page shock headlines are nowhere to be found inside. Today’s surprising headline was: “The bomb will come in 72 hours.”

And what, pray tell, is this bomb? It is that certain unnamed state authorities will offer conclusive proof to the public prosecutor that the election that brought Morsy to the presidential palace was fraudulent. It insists that the story of the Ameriya printing press is true (where apparently hundreds of thousands of ballots were printed, marked in Morsy’s favor, and somehow inserted into the ballot boxes at the poll station). Within the newspaper itself, not much of this ticking time bomb is to be seen, but space is given for voices that are critical of the Brotherhood.   

The Wafd Party’s paper Al-Wafd does not quite go to the lengths of Al-Dostour, but does lead its front page headline-fest with: “The plan to bring down Morsy.” However, thumbing through the paper reveals a less-dramatic story — a full-page spread covering the three questions that will define Morsy’s presidency. Under a photo-shopped image of Morsy bowling with SCAF head Hussein Tantawi, Al-Wafd asks: Will the Brotherhood turn on Morsy because he has to make decisions they won’t like? Will the SCAF overthrow Morsy? Will Morsy wrestle power from the SCAF?

It hasn’t just been Morsy in the news lately. His wife, Naglaa Ali — or Um Ahmed to some — has also been in the papers as speculation mounts over what kind of first lady she will be. Ali has come under rather harsh criticism from sections of the press for her veneer of religiosity, with some journalists speculating if she would even shake foreign dignitaries’ hands. Fahmi Huweidi attacks these types of comments vehemently in his column for Al-Shorouk today.

“This is the discourse of the Egyptian media which pretends to respect others, but we are surprised by the arrogant and condemning tone,” he writes, decrying these types of criticism for its “orientalist, pretentious tone that deals with its subject with overtones of disgust.”

 

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-Watan: 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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Wednesday’s papers: Brotherhood against all

by admin
May 2nd, 2012

People’s Assembly Speaker Saad al-Katatny’s decision to suspend parliamentary sessions Monday without putting it to a general vote shifted the dispute over the Cabinet. Originally pitting Parliament against the government and ruling military council, now the scuffle has left the Freedom and Justice Party to defy other political players on its own.

In Wednesday’s papers, political forces criticize the Muslim Brotherhood for insisting on dismantling the Cabinet and implicating the Parliament in the escalation of the group's battle with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.

After months of condemnations and threats for the military to dismantle the government, Katatny announced Monday that the military council informed him that it would soon reshuffle the Cabinet. When SCAF member Mohsen al-Fangary denied the statement, Katatny announced the suspension of Parliament sessions.

Al-Shorouk newspaper reports on the shift in parliamentary alliances with the headline, “Parties come together in Parliament to confront the Brotherhood.”

The paper says that other than the Brotherhood, members of Parliament see escalation with the military council at this point, two months before the transfer of power, as futile and have asserted the importance of Parliament making wise, not rushed, decisions.

State-run Al-Ahram newspaper reports that the Cabinet has resumed its work as scheduled, while the Brotherhood continues to insist on its dismissal and other parties reject the Brotherhood’s solo decision to suspend sessions.

The paper quotes party leaders criticizing the Brotherhood for insisting on dismantling the government without putting it to a vote.

According to Al-Ahram, parliamentary committees continue to meet without Freedom and Justice Party members. MPs from Beheira Governorate have also met with Ganzouri, showing that they don’t comply with Katatny’s decision.

Abul Ezz al-Hariry, presidential candidate and head of the Socialist Popular Alliance Party parliamentary bloc, called the suspension of sessions “a crime that exceeds those of the past [Mubarak] regime.” Hariry said that by suspending Parliament without voting, Katatny has violated parliamentary bylaws.

Independent Al-Dostour newspaper reports that the Salafi-oriented Nour Party, the liberal Wafd Party and other liberal and independent MPs are collecting signatures demanding Katatny apologize for suspending Parliament without considering the opinion of the members.

The paper also cites Cabinet sources as saying Ganzouri will resign if any changes are made to his government.

The Freedom and Justice Party, on the other hand, continues its fight against the government in its Freedom and Justice paper, leading with the headline, “A failed government.”

Ignoring all other factions in Parliament that see dismantling the cabinet as futile at this point, the paper quotes its party’s lawmakers as rejecting the Cabinet, saying a reshuffle is not enough and asking for a new Cabinet altogether.

Most of the FJP paper is dedicated to a fierce attack on the Cabinet, detailing its failures in different ministries in a report titled, “The black list of unproductive ministers.”

The Brotherhood is also facing off with the military council in the battle over the Constituent Assembly. After a court dismantled the previous assembly, meetings have been taking place between political powers and the military council to determine the formation of a new one.

According to Al-Wafd newspaper, Katatny has ordered the People’s Assembly Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee to prepare to form the Constituent Assembly that will draft the constitution, rejecting the results of meetings between the military council and the political forces to address the issue.

Columnist Wael Qandil, in his Al-Shorouk column, criticizes the contradictory statements between the military council and the Brotherhood over the Ganzouri Cabinet while lives are being lost in a violent street fight in Abbasseya that began early Wednesday morning.

“The comedy of leaked news about the dismantling of the Cabinet, then its denial, proves that we have fallen into the hands of clowns who have turned the political scene into a circus,” wrote Kandil.

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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Sunday’s papers: Foreign funding on trial and Ganzouri before Parliament

by admin
February 26th, 2012

Today’s papers cover two events regarding people coming under intense scrutiny by the country’s leaders. The first is the beginning of the trial of NGOs for illicit foreign funding and the second is Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri’s address of Parliament today on behalf of the government.

The Freedom and Justice Party newspaper, Freedom and Justice, reports that today is the first trial session for 43 defendants in what is known as “the foreign funding trial.” Nineteen Americans, five Serbians, three Arabs, two Germans and a number of Egyptians working for several different NGOs will now stand trial for something the government was aware they have been doing for years.

The independent Youm7 quotes judicial sources who say the first session will be mainly procedural, listing the charges and awaiting the defendants’ responses to them. It is expected that the defense team need an interpreter from the Justice Ministry for the duration of the trial. The newspaper also quotes defense lawyer Negad al-Borei, who states that the newspaper name for the case, i.e. “the foreign funding case,” is misrepresentative, as investigations have shown that there is no foreign funding related to this case.

Under the headline “The end of the US-Egyptian honeymoon,” the opposition paper Al-Wafd reports on US media coverage of the case. It says many American outlets are pointing out that the US has so far not managed to reign in its longtime ally on the subject of the NGO investigation. It quotes the Washington Post as declaring that the alliance is in danger because of this trial.

Meanwhile, Ganzouri is readying for his appearance in Parliament. The independent Al-Shorouk reports that he will attempt to convince the assembly of accepting the US$3.3 billion International Monetary Fund loan. Judging by the general anti-aid stance of MPs, it is fair to say Ganzouri will be facing a tough crowd. If he fails, though, he can always turn to Salafi Sheikh Mohamed Hassan, who is collecting money from Egyptians in order to do without foreign aid.

Freedom and Justice has an obvious vested interest in Ganzouri’s speech, seeing as they’re the big guns of the assembly. Their newspaper reports that nothing new is expected in the prime minister’s speech, and just to show that Ganzouri faces an uphill task, the newspaper reports that initial indications from Parliament is that they will refuse the foreign aid. That is, unless the prime minister manages to convince them the country is in vital need of it and there is no alternative.

Unlike the FJP, however, Youm7 reports that Ganzouri will have some surprises up his sleeve, mainly regarding the efforts to reclaim money that has seeped abroad in the past year and, more interestingly, a plan to restructure the Interior Ministry in order to bring security back to Egypt’s streets.

On the subject of the so-called “security vacuum,” state-run Al-Gomhurriya pats itself on the back for a campaign it did regarding thuggery on the ring road, which led to a massive security presence on the highway that interlocks around Cairo.

It’s interesting how under Mubarak, state-run papers presented a rosy view of Egypt — the “country of safety and security” — and now, even a cursory look at such a newspaper displays Egypt as an out-of-control anarchic state constantly in chaos, held to ransom by “the state of thuggery.”

Onto presidential candidates, as there is much to report about them lately. Al-Gomhurriya reports that the attack on potential candidate Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh was the work of a car theft ring, and he wasn’t targeted personally. Abouel Fotouh was returning from Beni Suef when he was attacked in his car.

A picture of Abouel Fotouh looking well among his family at home is on the front page of both Al-Gomhurriya and Youm7. It’s the very same picture. In fairness, one is more cropped than the other. Al-Shorouk trumps them both, plastering the exact same picture on its front page, only much, much bigger.

There is also news on former presidential candidate Mohamed ElBaradei, with both Al-Shorouk and Freedom and Justice reporting that he will be forming a political party “within 10 days” along with members of his presidential campaign. The party will espouse ElBaradei’s liberal ideas, but it hasn’t been decided yet whether he will head it or be a member of its higher committee. 

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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Categories Local Press
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