Thursday's newspapers focus much of their front-page coverage on the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for 28 November. The state-owned Al-Ahram, runs a headline reading "Final electoral rosters to be prepared by 14 November." The article's sub-header reads "52 candidates from Al-Ghad Party…The outlawed society considers challenging Shehab in Moharam Bey," refers to the Muslim Brotherhood's potential challenge against Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Mufid Shehab in the aforementioned Alexandrian electoral circuit. The article says the door to parliamentary nominations and candidacies will be open from the 3rd to 7th of November.
The chief headline on the front page of the independent Al-Dostour reads "Sources within the [ruling National Democratic Party's] Policies Committee: Shehab to become the next president of parliament." Another one of its chief headlines reads "Gamal Mubarak confirms that he will not nominate himself in the presidential elections." The independent Nahdet Masr runs a front page headline announcing "The Brotherhood insists…Islam is the solution." The article discuses the viewpoints of Muslim Brotherhood member Essam al-Arian and leader of its parliamentary bloc, Saad al-Katatni, who are adamant in maintaining this slogan for their electoral campaigning despite the government's prohibition on the use of religious slogans in elections. Al-Katatni argues this maxim is "A slogan for all Egyptians."
The opposition paper Al-Ahrar runs a chief headline on its front page reading "ElBaradei calls on political forces to reconsider their participation in elections." The article mentions the stance of former chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency turned political reformer, Mohamed ElBaradei, who has reiterated his call to Egypt's political opposition forces to boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections. The article quotes ElBaradei's Twitter account.
The top headline of the independent Al-Shorouk newspaper reads "The minimum wage is not applicable to state employees." The article mentions the verdict issued on Tuesday by the Administrative Court, which ruled the government must establish a new minimum wage in line with rising living expenses. The article's sub-headers reads "the lowest (monthly) wage in governmental apparatuses is LE492, and the court verdict does not stipulate a specific minimum wage." Another sub-headline reads "President of the American Chambers of Commerce is not opposed to the idea, and considers LE1200 a reasonable wage 'as long as people work more'." Another sub-header reads "President of the Tagammu' Party's economic committee: We can raise the minimum wage if we reduce expenditures on the benefits and bonuses of Ministers."
Al-Ahram runs a smaller headline announcing "LE900 minimum wage for skilled workers." The article says the state-controlled Egyptian Trade Union Federation (ETUF) is currently preparing studies and tables for minimum wages. ETUF President Hussein Megawer, suggests that unskilled and inexperienced workers who join the workforce be paid LE500 monthly, while semi-skilled workers be paid LE700, and skilled, experienced workers be paid LE900.
Al-Ahram's chief headline pertains to government plans aimed at maintaining subsidies among lower income brackets. It reads "LE25.4 billion in subsidies for card holders." As for the government's plans for food security, the paper runs the following headlines: "Increase in allocations for wheat imports" and "LE106 billion worth of new investments in the agricultural sector." The Minister of Agriculture, Amin Abaza, is quoted in another headline: "Plans for increasing the production of wheat, corn, sugar, and meats within five years."
The opposition Al-Ahrar runs a contrasting headline which reads "Details of governmental plan to raise the cost of bread." The article's sub-headlines reads "converting the subsidized bakeries into holding companies…Cancelation of new licenses for subsidized bakeries." Al-Dostour runs a headline reading "55% increase in the deficit on subsidized rice…New public tenders to confront the crisis."
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-Gomhorriya: Daily, state-run
Rose al-Youssef: Daily, state-run, close to the National Democratic Party's Policies Secretariat
Al-Dostour: Daily, privately owned
Al-Shorouk: Daily, privately owned
Al-Wafd: Daily, published by the liberal Wafd Party
Al-Arabi: Weekly, published by the Arab Nasserist party
Youm7: Weekly, privately owned
Sawt al-Umma: Weekly, privately owned
