Re-runs of the controversial "Al-Gamaa" television series will be postponed until after next month’s parliamentary elections "so as not to influence voters,” said Osama al-Sheikh, director of the state-run Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU).
“It was our own decision,“ al-Sheikh said, dismissing the existence of any pressure on the ERTU by state security services.
The series claims to tell the life story of Hassan al-Banna, founder of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood (MB), which–as Egypt's largest opposition movement–plans to field candidates in next month's elections.
The series, which cost a total of LE21 million to produce, was viewed by some critics as a means of tarnishing the group's image.
Scriptwriter Wahid Hamed, for his part, expressed support for the move.
“According to the contract, the series cannot be re-run until three months after its initial broadcast,” Hamed said, noting that the month of Ramadan–during which the series was aired–only concluded in August.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
