Nothing should be taken for granted when it comes to Egypt’s upcoming presidential election, especially considering Thursday’s news that Ahmed Shafiq, the last former prime minister under deposed President Hosni Mubarak, is back in the race.
Independent Al-Shorouk leads with the headline, “The return of Shafiq to the presidential race,” explaining that the Presidential Elections Commission, headed by Farouk Sultan, reversed a decision from the previous day that would have prevented Shafiq from running. This occurred after a six-hour meeting with Shafiq’s appeals team, the paper says. The commission provided no reason for its about-face.
Instead, the commission will refer Political Isolation Law 17/2012, drawn up by the Islamist-dominated Parliament and approved on Tuesday by the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, to the Supreme Constitutional Court to check its legitimacy. The law strips political rights from anyone who served as president, vice president or prime minister in the 10 years prior to Mubarak’s fall in February 2011.
Shafiq is an ex-air force commander, and is seen by many as the army’s man. He could take votes away from Amr Moussa, the former chief of the Arab League who stands against Islamist candidates such as Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh and the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsy.
On Thursday, the commission will release the final list of candidates, which in recent weeks has seen the exclusion of a number of big name candidates, such as former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, Brotherhood senior strategist Khairat al-Shater and Salafi lawyer-turned-preacher Hazem Salah Abu Ismail.
Abu Ismail and his supporters are still seething from the decision to exclude him. Al-Shorouk reports that Abu Ismail sent a message to his supporters apologizing for not joining them in Tahrir Square, where they have camped out since the decision was announced. He explained his absence was due to health reasons, but said that a number of surprises should be expected in the next few days and that “we won’t be silent at all on fraud.”
Morsy is on the campaign trail in Alexandria and Sinai. The Freedom and Justice newspaper, published by the Brotherhood’s political party of the same name, leads with the headline, “LE20 billion to build up Sinai in the renaissance project,” referring to the name of the candidate’s political platform. Morsy will visit Sharm el-Sheikh Thursday to affirm his support for tourism. State-owned Al-Ahram newspaper reports that Morsy said in Alexandria that the Brotherhood would respect the election outcome, whatever it may be. The election is due to take place on 23–24 May.
The FJP paper doesn’t miss a chance to bash Amr Moussa, who is expected to attract voters who don't want an Islamist president. “Down, down … Amr Moussa”, one of its many front-page headlines reads. Pictures of Moussa on page 6 portray him as a cigar-smoking, dictator-friendly candidate. One shows him walking with a smile behind late Libyan dictator Muammar Qadhafi, deposed Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and of course, Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak.
Another Islamist hopeful and former Brotherhood member, Abouel Fotouh, is confident in telling Reuters that he expects to win the election’s first round, a news piece picked up by a number of papers.
The other big news topic is the reformation of the Constitution Assembly, which was dissolved due to complaints about its dominance by Islamists. SCAF head Hussein Tantawi was supposed to meet with the heads of political parties and members of Parliament today to discuss the issue. Al-Shorouk’s headline reads: “After being delayed twice … the field marshal is meeting with parties on Saturday.” The meeting was due to take place Thursday. The assembly is tasked with writing the country’s first post-Mubarak constitution.
Al-Ahram reports on a meeting held by Prime Minister Kamal al-Ganzouri with his cabinet related to the Misr Fertilizer Production Company (MOPCO) in Damietta. The company has faced controversy in recent months over resident claims that it is polluting the environment.
At the meeting were MOPCO representatives, the governor of Damietta and the head of the General Petroleum Authority. Ganzouri said MOPCO needs to present a scheduled work plan to align its practices with environmental standards and that any new expansion plans need to be temporarily halted. Damietta Governor Mohamed Ali Fleifal said he had reached an agreement that 10 percent of proceeds, worth LE30 million, from the company and related government departments would go toward developing Damietta.
Wednesday was Sinai Liberation Day when Egypt celebrates re-capturing the peninsula from Israeli occupation forces. Al-Ahram reports on a march that the Sinai Revolutionary Movement organized yesterday to “Dayan rock,” in reference to the former head of the Israeli army Moshe Dayan. The rock symbolizes the killing of Israeli forces by the Egyptian army. In a symbolic move, marchers raised the Egyptian flag at the rock in the town of Sheikh Zuweid.
Independent daily Al-Tahrir leads with “A revolution in Port Said,” a city that witnessed massive violence at its football stadium on 1 February. Protesters came out to the city’s streets after the Grievances Committee of the Egyptian Football Association announced Tuesday it would freeze all games for the Masry football club for two seasons and prevent any football games from being played at Port Said Stadium for four years.
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
