Monday’s papers manage to find consensus in their coverage of the controversial issue of Egypt’s gas export deal with Israel amid the fierce competition between presidential candidates.
State-run Al-Akhbar paper leads with the headline: “Egypt cancels natural gas deal with Israel.”
The paper quotes Mohamed Shoeb, head of Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company, as saying, “The company annulled the contract with East Mediterranean Gas Company [which ships gas to Israel] due to violations of contractual obligations.”
In response to the unexpected move, the Ampal-American Israel Corporation, a partner in EMG, says it regards the decision as unlawful and demands its cancellation. The report adds that the EMG is considering resorting to legal action by appealing the decision.
Since the downfall of former President Hosni Mubarak last year, the 2005 Egypt-Israel gas deal has provoked strident criticism for offering gas at too low prices. The Egyptian gas pipeline to Israel and Jordon has undergone a series of attacks by militants since the 25 January uprising.
Independent Al-Dostour runs an exclusive story on its front page about Mansoura University students’ attack on Mohamed Morsy, the Brotherhood’s presidential candidate, and Khairat al-Shater, who was the group’s nominee before the Presidential Elections Commission excluded him the race.
The newspaper reports that clashes erupted between Brotherhood youth and university students after the latter threw stones, chairs and empty water bottles and chanted slogans against the Islamist group, rejecting its policy and Morsy’s nomination.
Freedom and Justice, the Muslim Brotherhood’s mouthpiece paper, does not mention the incident. Instead, it allocates an entire page to shedding light on Morsy’s successful presidential campaign, which kicked off Sunday in Beheira Governorate.
Photos of the group’s supporters mobilizing for the rally and holding flags to welcome the candidate dominate the page.
The sit-in for the third day of supporters of former presidential candidate Hazem Salah Abu Ismail is still making headlines in Monday’s newspapers.
Independent Al-Shorouk writes that supporters of the ultraconservative Salafi preacher clashed with citizens because the former paralyzed Tahrir Square’s traffic to protest his exclusion from the upcoming election.
They have held several marches demanding an end to military rule, the amendment of Article 28 of the Constitutional Declaration and the dissolution of the Presidential Elections Commission, which decided to disqualify him.
Abu Ismail was among the front-runners struck off the electoral roll because of accusations that his late mother had dual nationality. A law issued after Mubarak’s ouster states that presidential candidates must have Egyptian nationality only and that their parents and spouses should not hold any other citizenship than Egyptian.
As the tone of presidential race sharpens, state-owned Al-Ahram publishes in a one-page spread an opinion poll conducted by Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies. The poll found that Amr Moussa, former foreign minister under Mubarak, came first with the support of 40 percent of those surveyed.
Moderate Islamist Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh ranked second in the poll and former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq came in third.
The poll found that Abu Ismail’s exclusion prompted 25.8 percent of his followers to support Abouel Fotouh, while 35.6 percent of former spy chief Omar Suleiman’s followers would likely cast their votes for Moussa, according to the report.
Party paper Al-Wafd states that the Egyptian Football Association officially announced on Sunday that Egypt’s cup will be halted for the time being.
A massacre took place on 1 February in Port Said following a match between Ahly and Masry football teams, leaving 74 dead and hundreds injured.
The Interior Ministry said in its letter to the association that the cup is suspended until the suspects have been trial and security measures are stepped up in stadiums.
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
