State-run Al-Akhbar's front-page coverage announces Sunday as the last day for candidacy application submissions. “Mubarak checks over the National (Democratic Party’s) Candidates,” reads the headline. General secretary of the ruling party Safwat Sherif said President Mubarak will deliver a speech on Wednesday, delineating the party’s electoral program for the impending parliamentary elections, according to the paper.
Al-Akhbar also reports on a phone call between President Mubarak and the head of the Egyptian Coptic Church, Pope Shenouda III. “We are keen on protecting the Egyptian people, both Christians and Muslims,” Mubarak is quoted in the lead. The call comes after last week’s threats by Al-Qaeda to target Egypt’s Coptic community because Copts are allegedly detaining Muslim female converts in monasteries. The threats followed an attack by an off-shoot Al-Qaeda group on a church in Baghdad last Sunday that left nearly 60 dead.
The phone call secures prime news coverage in state-owned papers on Sunday. “Mubarak confirms to the (Egyptian) Pope his condemnation of any plans against Copts in Egypt”, reads a state flagship Al-Ahram heading.
But Al-Ahram’s top-story was reserved for the NDP parliamentary candidacies. “508 candidates for the NDP present their applications today including 64 women,” reads the headline. The report named most well-known NDP figures seeking election, particularly current cabinet members. The entire Al-Ahram Monday edition neglects to mention news about opposition or independent candidates. Egypt is expected to hold parliamentary elections on 28 November followed by presidential elections in mid-2011.
Al-Wafd’s front page contains a photograph of a public bus driving in the middle of a pond of sewage with school students bursting out of the crowded bus door. A dominant headline reads, “For your own sake’ don’t vote for the National Democratic Party!”, alluding to the NDP’s well-known slogan “For your own sake.” Blaming socio-economic problems on poor governance since the Nasser era, Al-Wafd's story reads, “These are the results of the politics of the ruling party that has been in place for the last 58 years under different names.”
Al-Wafd posts a story on Saturday’s administrative court verdict that obliges state-owned radio and TV to allocate equal advertisement intervals for all Egyptian political parties. The opposition paper describes the verdict as historic.
Al-Dostour's top headline reads, “the supreme administrative court obliges the Minister of Media to broadcast programs of opposition parties on state-owned TV stations throughout the year.”
Privately-owned Al-Shorouk says President Mubarak reviewed the final NDP slate on Sunday.
In other news, Egyptian Minister of Higher Education, according to Al-Shorouk, says there is no relationship between Ain Shams and the verdict prohibiting police security presence on state-run institution campuses. According to the verdict, universities will be required to hire their own security guards to supplant police forces within the coming months. Last Thursday, Ain Shams witnessed clashes two weeks after the verdict was declared. The 9th of March movement announced the violence was intentional to justify the presence of police on campuses. Observers believe the interference of police forces has hampered freedom of expression and political activity on campuses.
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 el-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 el-Umma: Weekly, privately owned
