State-owned papers Al-Ahram and Al-Gomhorriya both devote the top of their front pages to coverage of President Hosni Mubarak attending graduation ceremonies at the Police Academy. The writing and presentation of both packages seems geared to emphasize two main points: Mubarak’s vigorous public schedule (he also visited new projects under construction at Cairo Airport) amid seemingly constant rumors about his health; and the noble role of the police as protectors of social order—a reputation that has suffered greatly in the wake of the Khaled Saeed case and a host of other brutality accusations.
Interior Minister Habib el-Adly seemingly sums up this theme in Al-Gomhorriya’s sub-headline—“We renew our commitment to sacrifice in order to protect stability and the general interest.”
On a humorous note, Al-Ahram’s choice of front-page photo serves as a reminder that Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif really is an amazingly tall and imposing man. The lineup shot of senior officials shows Nazif towering over Mubarak—who is hardly diminutive in stature himself. On his other side, the top of Shura Council’s president Safwat el-Sherif’s head only reaches to below the knot on Nazif’s tie.
Inside, Al-Gomhorriya supplies details on this fall’s upcoming parliamentary elections, with word that 29 November is the most likely date for voting. The date isn’t fully official yet, as it is pending a presidential decree, according to the paper. Plans are for the vote to be conducted under the supervision of more than 2000 judges. However there’s no mention of electoral monitoring by international observers or local non-governmental organizations—both of which are demanded by Mohamed ElBaradei and numerous other opposition forces.
Privately-owned Al-Shorouq shunts news on Mubarak’s daily schedule to its inside pages, instead devoting part of its front page to news that the family of alleged Alexandria police brutality victim Khaled Saeed has cancelled its power of attorney agreement with the Nadeem Center for the Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence. The brief article is short on details, and it’s unclear what the reasons for the decision or the future implications for Saeed’s case may be. The Nadeem Center has played a central role in pushing forward the case of Saeed, who was beaten to death in public last month by plain-clothed police officers, according to the accounts of multiple witnesses.
In an interesting visual choice, Al-Dostour dedicates about a quarter of its front page to an eye-catching full-color comic strip telling the story of the 1952 revolution, ahead of its 58th anniversary later this week. The comic strip shows a young Gamal Abdel Nasser and his fellow Free Officers, including future Defense Minister Abdel Hakim Amer, plotting the revolt. And the front-page offering is just a teaser for an impressive eight-page spread inside the paper telling Nasser’s life story in vivid comic form.
Egypt’s newspapers:
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-Shorouq: 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
