The news of ousted President Hosni Mubarak’s former party members running in the upcoming parliamentary elections dominates the headlines of both state-owned and independent newspapers.
Independent papers Youm7 and Al-Wafd post identical lead headlines, “Supreme Administrative Court returns remnants to the revolution’s parliamentary elections.”
The Supreme Administrative Court has overturned a ruling barring members of the disbanded National Democratic Party (NDP) from running in the polls slated to begin 28 November, Al-Ahram reports.
Last Friday, a lower administrative court in Mansoura passed a verdict banning six members of the former National Democratic Party (NDP) from elections after 19 lawsuits were filed to prevent NDP candidates from competing.
Privately owned Al-Dostour and state-run Al-Gomhurriya run pictures of NDP supporters welcoming the ruling by holding up their candidates’ photos and chanting “God is great.”
However, others regarded the verdict as a disappointing move against the revolution's demands.
On the front page of independent Al-Tahrir, attorney Essam al-Islambouli, who represents the Mansoura plaintiffs against the NDP affiliates, denounced the verdict: “The disbanded party had prevented 80 million Egyptians from practicing their political rights, and now its members are demanding the right they deprived others of for the past 30 years!”
The dissolution of the NDP has been one of the major demands of the protesters who overthrew the Mubarak regime.
The Damietta lockdown still manages to find space on newspapers’ front pages, after the locals' strike entered its seventh day against the MOPCO-Agrium chemical plant.
Privately owned Al-Shorouk reports that despite the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces' (SCAF) decision to close the factory, protesters are continuing their sit-in.
Many residents regard the SCAF decision as a “temporary calming down strategy,” demanding a permanent shutdown, says Youm7. Protesters have reportedly blocked the main roads linking Damietta to Daqahlia Governorate, as well as closed the city's main port.
The SCAF will hold a meeting today with a number of officials to clarify its position on the “Selmy document,” which stipulates principles to be included in the new constitution, reports Al-Ahram.
Last Sunday, political forces gave the military a Wednesday deadline to amend the proposal, which gives the ruling military council complete authority over the military's decisions and budget. Islamist movements, including the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafi parties, have threatened to hold a massive protest on Friday if the document's controversial articles are not amended.
The flagship paper adds that Prime Minister Essam Sharaf and his deputy, Ali al-Selmy, held several meetings with political groups Monday to try and reach common ground on the supra-constitutional principles.
Youm7 reports that an Israeli delegate arrived in Cairo Monday in a trip set to last only a few hours to discuss Egypt's security situation with Egyptian officials.
The discussions revolved around finding a new, suitable location for the Israeli Embassy and normalizing relations between the two countries after recent tensions, says the report.
Last September, hundreds of protesters demolished a protective exterior wall and stormed the Israeli Embassy. The incidents left hundreds injured and three dead.
In an op-ed, Youm7 Editor-in-Chief Khaled Salah relates a personal experience with an imam of a Dokki mosque.
His message is that imams are manipulating Islam for their own political interests and attempting to brainwash people into supporting Islamist movements.
“Liberalism is infidelity. Liberals are deceiving people with a new diction called a 'civil state,'” the imam said during a Friday prayer speech. “Such a state is a mask for isolating Islam from society.”
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
