The local press focuses Wednesday on the nation's protracted battle to draft the constitution and news of US President Barack Obama's re-election Tuesday night.
State-owned Al-Ahram quotes Constituent Assembly member Mohamed Mohie Eddin as saying that the assembly would begin voting on draft articles of the constitution in the second half of November and present it to President Mohamed Morsy in early December. That process will be followed by a public referendum in December, he said. Mohie Eddin added that the assembly has reached consensus on about 95 percent of the articles, according to Al-Ahram.
Private daily Al-Shorouk's front page contradicts the state-run paper, however, saying the constitution's authors are deadlocked as secular forces threaten to withdraw from the assembly, Islamists protest the language regarding Sharia and judges are up in arms about articles governing judicial powers.
The newspaper reports that the assembly issued a new draft of the constitution on Monday that is different from the one released on 24 October and includes articles setting a maximum wage in government institutions and giving Al-Azhar’s Supreme Scholars Council the power to choose and remove the religious institution's leader.
Independent newspaper Youm7 reports judges and the Supreme Judicial Council are gearing up for a final battle against the Constituent Assembly over limitations the draft sets on their power and independence.
Judges Club head Ahmed al-Zend calls on judges and prosecutors to hold an urgent meeting to look into ways to escalate protest against assembly practices, Youm7 reports.
Privately owned daily Al-Watan highlights the remarks of Ahmed Abou Baraka, the legal advisor of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, who says a potential judges' strike would be criminal.
“They have the full right to criticize and express their opinions, but they should not impose their guardianship over the Constituent Assembly,” the paper quotes him as saying.
Independent daily Al-Tahrir quotes former Arab League leader Amr Moussa's statements that all secular members will withdraw from the assembly if the Islamist majority continues to believe that the constitution is their own. The newspaper says that the draft constitution must be approved by a majority of the assembly, or at least 67 members. Islamists account for 70 members.
Foreign news also received top billing in the local press, with photos of American voters queuing for US presidential elections covering the front pages. Obama emerged the victor, winning only a slight margin in the popular vote.
Al-Ahram detailed the last-minute campaign stops of both candidates. Party paper Freedom and Justice says that the foreign policy of the two men, while different in tone, is similar in essence. The paper argues both politicians agree on escalating pressure on Iran, rejecting military intervention in Syria and steering clear of unconditional support for Israel.
State-owned Al-Akhbar reports on media appearances of both candidates with their families and says such images are important to voters. Obama’s two girls played a vital rule in their father’s 2008 campaign. Although the former Massachusetts governor fell short on Tuesday night, Romney has five sons who also worked actively on his campaign.
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
Al-Sabah: 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
