Egypt has come to a crossroads Tuesday as all eyes are on the Administrative Court ahead of its ruling on the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly.
“The last round in the battle of the Constitution and Parliament,” reads the top headline of the independent daily Al-Tahrir.
The paper reports that the Administrative Court is set to consider 29 appeals filed against the formation of the Constituent Assembly, which is tasked with drafting Egypt’s new constitution.
If the assembly is dissolved, it would widen the political rift between the Supreme Council of the Armed Forced and newly-elected President Mohamed Morsy.
Last Tuesday, Morsy approved a law regulating the formation of the assembly, which had been issued by the now-dissolved Parliament. The law granted the body a legal immunity from being disbanded.
Some regarded Morsy’s stance as “new outreach,” after challenging the Supreme Constitutional Court and the military council last week over reconvening the Parliament. Morsy was forced to back down, however, after his decision was quashed by the Court.
Al-Watan, the privately-owned daily, features a report about a “state of emergency” the Brotherhood said it would declare if the court orders the assembly’s dissolution.
It is reported that the group called on its supporters to organize a sit-in in front of the State Council if the appeals were accepted. Al-Tahrir adds the Brotherhood’s attorney has prepared the necessarily legal procedures, including the submission of documents if needed, to prove the legitimacy of the Assembly.
While Al-Tahrir describes Morsy’s move as biased towards the Brotherhood’s political interests, Al-Watan quotes presidential spokesperson Yasser Ali as saying the presidency would respect any ruling of the judiciary.
The release of Shaimaa Adel, a journalist for Al-Watan newspaper, is another story making headlines in Tuesday’s papers.
Al-Ahram, the state-owned paper, writes that the president flew Adel back to Egypt on his own private plane. Adel was detained in Sudan for two weeks while covering protests against the policies of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.
Despite her arrival to Sudan without prior permission, as the Sudanese government claimed, President Omar al-Bashir agreed to free Adel after direct talks with Morsy. The flagship paper quotes Adel in a top headline, “The intervention of the president makes the Egyptian’s dignity a redline.”
However, the liberal paper Wafd, regards Morsy’s action differently. According to the report, the president used the situation to grab media attention.
A press conference was planned at Cairo International Airport for Adel, her family, Journalists Syndicate head Mamdouh al-Wali, and the chief editor of Al-Watan newspaper, Magdy al-Gallad, but it was canceled at the last minute. The paper reported that the cancellation of the conference, which was organized by the president’s office, was the limited number of journalists that showed up upon Adel’s arrival.
On its sixth page, Al-Akhbar, another state-run paper, publishes a feature about the return of former president Hosni Mubarak to Tora Prison’s hospital, accompanied by exclusive pictures of him in a wheelchair as police cordon off the area.
On Monday, Public Prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud ordered Mubarak to be moved from the Maadi Military Hospital to Tora Prison’s hospital, after doctors assured that his health was not in dangerous condition.
The ousted president received a life sentence last month for failing to prevent the murder of protesters during the 25 January revolution.
Tuesday’s papers all covered the long-anticipated results of thanaweya amma, which determine student’s final grades for high school. “The end of thanaweya amma battle and the start of the top colleges battle,” reads the independent Al-Shorouk.
The papers announced the rate of success declined from 87.2 percent last year to 82 percent this year. Thanaweya amma has always been a critical phase in Egyptian education, representing the moment where the future of every student is determined.
It seems that even education news cannot escape politics. The privately-owned daily Youm7 highlights in a top headline in red that Morsy’s son received a grade of 75 percent. The paper also lists the names of the top students of this year along with their results and governorates they belong to.
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
