Egypt's newspapers on Monday follow the repercussions of the fall of the regime and speculate on Egypt's future, while continuing to celebrate the revolution’s success and honor its heroes and martyrs.
The army’s suspension of the Constitution and the dissolution of both houses of parliament is on the front page of every newspaper. The armed forces' statement also announced that Ahmed Shafiq’s cabinet will remain in place until the formation of a new government and that Egypt will continue to abide by all its international treaties.
Independent daily Al-Shorouk supports the army with the headline: “The army triumphs for the people.” It announces political movements’ satisfaction with the decision.
Meanwhile the protests that overwhelmed many sectors yesterday–including the Ministry of Interior–were also featured in every newspaper.
Workers at governmental bodies, banks and other sectors protested to demand financial and job security. This led to the Central Bank's decision to close banks today and tomorrow.
Al-Shorouk independent newspaper details the protests under the title “A tsunami of mini-revolutions sweep the governorates." Al-Dostour newspaper calls it “the uprising of the financial sector against corruption.”
State-run Al-Ahram is more critical, announcing “The revolution under the siege of sectorial demands.” An editorial warns that the demands of the protesters are not feasible at the moment and should be postponed for at least one month. It says they endanger the revolution with demands that it can’t deliver right now.
The corruption files on the old regime’s figures also make into to all the newspapers. Al-Dostour gives the subject the most weight by discussing the investigation of former Interior Minister Habib al-Adly on its front page. Al-Shorouk announces the general prosecutor’s accusations that former Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif and his cabinet wasted and wrongfully allocated state assets.
Unexpectedly, Al-Ahram reveals corruption files on the fallen regime under the headline “Marina tells its secrets,” referring to the upscale summer destination on the north coast, Marina. The newspaper writes that heads of the regime were able to purchase villas on the north coast through shady deals. It mentions various officials, including former Minister of Tourism Zoheir Garana, former head of the president’s office Zakareya Azmy, and former National Democratic Party head Safwat al-Sherif. The newspaper is uncharacteristically critical of Mubarak's regime, saying “The records show that corrupt officials used their powers for their own profit and wasted common money, allowing themselves to take what belonged to the people.”
The Mubarak family's wealth is also a hot topic. Al-Dostour announces that the general prosecutor has started investigating complaints filed about Mubarak’s wealth. It reports a story in Britain's Daily Telegraph that Mubarak held on to power throughout the past 18 days in order to safeguard his wealth, as well as a Sunday Times report that Britain will start investigating the former president's fortune. Al-Shorouk highlights contradictory estimates of its size in the international press, while Al-Ahram focuses on the most conservative estimate–in the New York Times–of US$3 billion.
Opinion pieces include celebrations and expressions of pride in the revolution, in addition to analyses on the revolution itself as well as the changes it has brought about in society, and proposals for what steps should be taken next.
Head of the Journalists Syndicate Makram Mohamed Ahmed, who was heavily criticized by protesters for being “a spokesperson for the regime,” writes a column in Al-Ahram celebrating the revolution, describing the protesters as “heroes,” and criticizing the former regime for ignoring the people’s demands for so long.
Fahmy al-Howeidy wonders in his column in Al-Shorouk whether the protesters in Tahrir Square should leave or continue, concluding that there are valid arguments for both options.
Al-Shorouk also publishes an exclusive interview with Mohamed ElBaradei in which the former IAEA chief says he is not considering running for president, and that he hoped that Mubarak would leave with his dignity intact.
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
