State-owned Al-Ahram this morning uses its distinct celebratory red font and leads with, “Morsy the first civilian Egyptian president.”
The newspaper says the Presidential Elections Commission yesterday declared that 51.73 percent of the votes were for Mohamed Morsy, the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate, while former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq won 48.27 percent.
In his first statement to the Egyptian people, Morsy saluted the martyrs and said the revolution would continue until it reaches all its goals. He added that national unity is this country’s way out of its ordeal and its guide to a better tomorrow, and vowed that no foreign forces would interfere in Egypt’s internal affairs, according to Al-Ahram.
The newspaper compares Morsy to newly elected French President Francois Hollande, as both were “spare” candidates pushed forward last-minute by their parties. Morsy was the Freedom and Justice Party’s last card after Khairat al-Shater was disqualified.
The government mouthpiece also says former President Hosni Mubarak received the news with absolute tepidity and did not discuss the result with anyone in the hospital. Meanwhile, shock and disappointment reigned over the residents of Tora prison. Sources state that the most negatively affected by the news are Alaa and Gamal Mubarak, in addition to Safwat al-Sherif, former head of the National Democratic Party, and Zakariya Azmy, the former presidential chief of staff.
Independent newspaper Al-Shorouk writes that the revolution has reached the presidential palace and that political forces are drawing up a map for the coming government.
Sources from the campaign of former presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh said yesterday that Abul Ela Mady, president of the moderate Islamist Wasat Party, is expected to become vice president, Al-Shorouk reports.
Hamdeen Sabbahi, another former candidate, suggested former MP Amin Eskandar or Ain Shams University law professor Hossam Eissa, the paper says. Meanwhile, a source from Morsy’s campaign tell Al-Shorouk that if longtime reform advocate and Constitution Party head Mohamed ElBaradei accepted a position as prime minister, then two other ministers would be from the Brotherhood and the rest would be technocrats. The source said the Brotherhood wants to have the supply and commerce ministries to end to the gasoline and liquefied petroleum gas crises.
Al-Dostour newspaper, which recently launched an anti-Brotherhood campaign in its coverage, quotes the news agency Reuters, writing that Morsy’s victory is an achievement for Islamists in the Middle East despite speculations that SCAF favored Shafiq. Sources from Shafiq’s campaign said Monday that the candidate received more votes than Morsy. Shafiq had earlier declared his absolute conviction that he is the legitimate winner.
Al-Dostour says sociologist Amar Ali Hassan says that with SCAF still in the picture until the upcoming parliamentary elections, Morsy will have to show compatibility with other political forces. Political analyst Wahid Abdel Hamid says Morsy’s undertakings are general and unclear, adding that Morsy is expected to do things that not everybody agrees on.
Brotherhood newspaper Freedom and Justice writes, “Morsy, the president of Egypt.” On page five, the newspaper quotes former Brotherhood leader Mahdi Akef, who says Morsy is a godly present to the Egyptian people. Akef adds that Morsy has the power to rule the country toward pride and welfare. Former FJP MP Hassan al-Brince says Morsy is a highly qualified politician and a man of power with a clear plan to rescue Egypt, while Shafiq had said Mubarak would be his idol until the day he dies.
The Brotherhood mouthpiece says the stock market has risen by 3.4 percent, gaining about LE7.5 billion in its last session shortly before the finalization of the election results.
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
