Sisi inaugration most interesting shots

Here are some photos of El-Sisi's inauguration as Egypt's new elected president, in addition to popular celebrations reflecting "strong support". 

AFP - A picture taken on June 8, 2014 shows a life size figure of Egypt's new President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (L) facing a mannequin of a woman in peasant green dress representing Egypt, displayed on Tahrir square in the capital Cairo.

AFP - Egyptian women kiss their national flag and a portrait of newly elected President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as they celebrate outside the high constitutional court in the capital Cairo, on June 8, 2014 during Sisi's swearing in ceremony.

The man behind congratulating El-Sisi across 8 Egyptian front pages

At least eight Egyptian daily newspapers (including two state-owned) featured a half-page congratulatory note on 4 June for Egypt's new president Abd El-Fatah El-Sisi.

The note read:

"Congratulations to Egypt

Under your wise leadership Egypt will add more to its glory for eternity

Hasan Abdullah Ismaik, Managing Director and CEO of Arabtec Holding, sincerely congratulates President Abd El-Fatah El-Sisi for the success of the democratic process and his election as president of the Arab Republic of Egypt"

The note occupied the bottom-half of the spread-sheet front pages of state-owned Al-Akhbar and Al-Gomhouriya. It also appeared in privately-owned papers of Al-Sherouk, Al-Masry Al-Youm, Al-Watan, Al-Tahrir, Al-Youm Al-Sabea, in addition to the liberal Al-Wafd Party's Al-Wafd. 

It carried the logo of UAE-based Arabtec Holding, whose managing director and CEO is Hasan Ismaik, a Jordanian billionaire who recently came to Forbes' attention.

On 9 March, Ismaik's company and Egypt's defense ministry, then headed by El-Sisi, signed an agreement to construct one million housing units across Egypt. 

This is not the only construction project the defense ministry, that has been led by the army's commander-in-chief, signed with Gulf-based companies. 

Shadows of old regimes in Egypt's 2014 presidential elections

Preliminary results of Egypt's presidential polls signal a landslide win for ex-army chief Abd El-Fattah El-Sisi. Initial figures give him over 95% of the votes. 

El-Sisi enjoys a wide popularity among Egyptians since he deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi amid nationwide protests against him in July 2013. So these results are a victory for many of his supporters who vehemently oppose the Muslim Brotherhood or even the revolutionary youth - seen as "rash" or "unpatriotic". 

However, for many young people El-Sisi is a new Mubarak, against whom they revolted in 2011. And his presidential victory, especially with such popular support, falls heavy upon them. 

Many young social media users circulated photos of old-regime media content, that either hit the credibility of its figures or reflected a lack of change over the years.

This great shot by photographer Mohamed El-Shahed for AFP is of a wall on a Cairo street bearing two front pages of state-owned daily newspapers Al-Akhbar (L) and Al-Gomhouriya (R). The headlines show old promises of the army and the Brotherhood, claiming they don't aspire for power... when in fact time has shown that they both sought it later.

Al-Akhbar's headline reads, "The Muslim Brotherhood does not seek presidency... or government posisitions", while Al-Gomhourihya says, "The military institution will not nominate or support anyone for presidency." 

The Brotherhood put Mohamed Morsi forward for presidential elections in 2012, and the army did the same with El-Sisi in 2014. 

* * * 

As for the huge margin in the poll results, some social media users pulled out the front pages of state-owned newspapers during Gamal Abd El-Nasser's and Mubarak's reigns. 

Egypt Elections Headlines: Before & after voting extension

Egyptian newspapers came out on the eve of 27 May, at the end of the first voting day, with celebratory front pages, praising what they described as a heavy turnout at the polling stations. 

Some highlighted women's participation in the presidential elections, while others claimed a presence for young people. (Whose participation has in fact been dwindling & social media has been rampant with sarcasm on "elderly participation" over the past two days.)

However, the following day's front pages saw an obvious change of tone in most papers when Egypt's Presidential Elections Committee (PEC) announced extending the polling for a third day - due to low turnout! 

(Note: current official approximate figures puts turnout at 37%)

So here are snap-shots of yesterday's and today's main state-owned and privately-owned Egyptian daily newspapers. I also wrote an English translation of the headlines. 

- Click on the photos for a larger view.

* * *

Al-Ahram

(State-owned daily) 

27 May 2014 

28 May 2014

27 May:        

Egyptians are making the future 

A popular carnival on the first voting day 

28 May:

Voting extended for 24 hours 

Heavy turnout at polling stations in a festive atmosphere 

* * * 

Al-Akhbar 

(State-owned daily) 

28 May 2014

27 May 2014

 27 May:       

Egypt fascinates the world 

Youth turnout... and women are at the forefront

Muslim Brotherhood fails to ruin the democratic festival 

28 May:

Voting extended to today...  Sisi and Sabahi object

Links & Videos: Online media round-up of Egyptian elections

Two only Egyptian presidential candidates Hamdeen Sabahi (L) and Abd El-Fatah El-Sisi (R)

Here some useful links explaining the Egyptian presidential elections taking place at the moment, in addition to the latest updates.

Second day elections round-up:

 

So Egypt's Presidential Elections Committee (PEC) decided to extend the voting for a third day due to low turn out! No holiday is declared. 

(The Telegraph called it "Egypt elections extended as Sisi's backers embarrassed by low turn-out")


Both Sabahi's and El-Sisi's campaigns have filed complaints against the decision. 

However, PEC has rejected these legal complaints. PEC's secretary Abd El-Aziz Salman told CBC TV channel: "We do not abide by the desires of the candidates. We are following the popular wishes... two representative of a popular delegation came to the committee's headquarters to request more opportunities to vote."

Meanwhile, there are calls on social media asking Sabahi to withdraw from the race, saying the elections are a farce. 

* * *

As participation levels were unexpectedly low, there have been efforts from the Egyptian government & media to urge people to vote. Aswat Masriya has more to say indeed in this feature titled "Vote or else, Egyptian media warns public". 

Egypt's PM Ibrahim Mahlab also announced a fine of EGP 500 for those who do not vote. (Same news about a fine were announced in previous elections). 

Anyway, here are some other news on the second elections day in Egypt...

Journalists on the street: 

- BBC crew briefly detained when interviewing Rabaa widow (DNE) 

- Journalists detained, barred from polling stations: Syndicate (Ahram Online)

Monitoring the elections: 

- Ahram Online interviews chief observer of the European Union's Election Observation Mission (EOM) in Egypt. 

How did the second day unfold? 

- Ahram Online's live updates

- At least 30 arrests during presidential elections (DNE)

Egypt-specials: 

- Reports on social media saying that shopping complex City Stars in northern Cairo shut down early to "call on people to vote". This video from local news publication El-Badil features an announcement broadcast in City Stars, telling customers it will close at 4 p.m. CLT in order to help staff vote.

Commentary: 

- Robert Fisk writes in The Independent: "Egypt elections: The coronation of the emperor".


Earlier today: 

The government has declared Tuesday an official holiday in the public sector to facilitate the polling process & extended the voting for an extra hour. 

Here are also some links for what has been happening in the early morning: 

- Sabahi campaign urges Egypt youth to back him on final polling day (Ahram Online)

- Dostour (Constitution) Party Facebook pages launches an event called "Tuesday is for Hamdeen" to urge voters to cast their votes for the only candidate against El-Sisi Today. 

Trending hashtags: 

انسحب_يا_حمدين# (Withdraw, Hamdeen)

كملوا_المسرحية# (Continue the show)

الاربع_بتاع_حمدين# (Wednesday is for Hamdeen) 

Victims: Journalists vs the Public

We were always taught in university that journalism is the "fourth estate", a watchdog on those in power, a force that challenges them and keeps them alert for they know someone will hold them accountable. But, more importantly, this "fourth estate" is on a noble mission to give voice to the voiceless, bring attention to the unnoticed, and shed light upon what's been cast in the dark. Our professors told us time and time again that: journalism should reveal wrongdoing, raise awareness and demand justice - it is an active (and much needed) player in democracy.

And so journalism suddenly became the most intriguing thing that I ever came across, especially that this happened after the 2011 revolution when the whole country was bubbling with enthusiasm.

I was quite lucky to have worked with colleagues in on-campus newspapers who were (and some still are) vehement believers in such values of journalism. They were extremely enthusiastic about the potential impact news can make. We reported night and day on stories, interviewed tens of people, discussed scenarios and plans for hours - thinking this was our next journalistic breakthrough, that we'd be our university's Woodward and Bernstein.

It was all about "let's do some real journalism" - and to me, this "real" journalism was always about the story. We wanted to find the important stories, the good stories, work properly on them and get them published.

However, I started to feel recently that it isn't actually always about the story. A lot of the time it's more about the journalist. And this issue can have a lot of elements to look at and factors to consider. But what really drew my attention recently is how reporters are treated with superiority when it comes to situations where they are jailed, injured or killed.

The argument is that journalists are out risking their security to inform everyone else of the truth. And if you arrest or kill a journalist - you're silencing a channel of vital communication. And so the significance of the crackdown is doubled - you do not only trespass over a human being's freedom, but you deny the public the important service this journalist is giving them.

Inside Egypt's Muslim Sisterhood

Supporters of Morsi shout slogans as they continue a sit-in protest outside the Rabaa al-Adawiya mosque in Cairo (Photo: Reuters)

[This story was originally published on Ahram Online on 7 October 2013] 

As army tanks came to a halt in front of a group of protesters lying in the road, the air thick with teargas, Wafaa Hefny didn’t hesitate.

“I walked up to the soldiers standing on each tank and said ‘your mothers will curse you. Do not fire at your brothers - go back,’” she recalls. “All the tanks moved back.”

Hefny, 46, is a university instructor and an active Muslim Brotherhood member. Speaking at home, she wears a crimson traditional dress, her hair streaked with a few grey lines. 

When security forces began to disperse a sit-in by supporters of Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi at Rabaa Al-Adawiya on 14 August, Hefny and her husband immediately went there.

Hefny had spent several weeks camping at the Rabaa protest with her family. When she arrived at the site - in Cairo's Nasr City - she found no way in. So she joined people going to nearby Al-Tayaran Street where they forced tanks to retreat. 

After her encounter with the tanks, she spent the night transporting dead bodies out of the ruins of Rabaa. 

Women on the streets

Hefny was not the only female member of the Brotherhood who took to Cairo’s streets when the protest camps were dispersed.

Though the Brotherhood, an 85-year-old Islamist group founded by Hassan El-Banna, is seen as a male-dominant group, it has a lot of “sisters” who participate in different roles. They may not, however, reach leading positions or rise to the fore after a lot of the men were arrested recently.

“Women are more active on the street than men,” Sameh Eid, a former member of the Brotherhood, tells Ahram Online. 

“They engage actively in public relations and elections campaigns; they are passionate and enthusiastic members,” he says.