Journalists voted yesterday in their first Press Syndicate elections after the 25 January Revolution, hoping to assure the independence and role of the press in defending freedom of expression, Khaled Dawoud reports Egyptian journalists managed yesterday to mobilise enough members to start the voting in the Press Syndicate elections. Out of five candidates running for the post of head of the syndicate, competition was limited between Yehia Qallash, representing the so- called "independence trend" which is a combination of liberals, Nasserists and leftists, and Mamdouh El-Wali, close to the Muslim Brotherhood. Journalists were also supposed to elect 12 out of 101 candidates to be members of the syndicate's council. At least 50 per cent of the syndicate's 6,000 members had to register before voting could start, according to the law organising the elections. Hundreds of journalists started gathering at the syndicate's headquarters as of early Wednesday in hope of reaching the quorum, distributing leaflets and carrying pictures of their favourite candidates. However, by the time the registration period ended at noon, the quorum was a few hundred members short. Judge Mohamed Hassan Ali, who headed a team of judges supervising the voting, announced he would extend the registration until 2pm. Still, the final number remained 147 votes short. That would have meant postponing elections for two weeks, something which the majority of candidates refused after weeks of campaigning. The nearly 3,000 journalists who were at the syndicate by that time also expressed their frustration, and pressed the judicial team and the committee overseeing the election to extend the registration by 30 more minutes. Judge Ali agreed, but insisted that such a measure had to be voted on and approved by the journalists who had already registered. Less than 15 minutes after the judge's decision, more than 170 journalists registered, after which Ali announced that the quorum was reached. He said that 3,127 journalists had registered their names. The journalists then gathered at the syndicate's main theatre and collectively announced that they approved the short extension so that the voting could start, and to prevent any possibility that some candidates would appeal the legitimacy of the elections. Although El-Wali had repeatedly denied he was a Muslim Brotherhood candidate, he has been known for his connections to the group for many years. The Brotherhood leadership had also announced a list of five names, saying they were candidates representing the group for membership of the syndicate's council. The move was strongly criticised by Qallash who considered it interference in the syndicate's affairs by a political group. Qallash is known for being close to the Nasserist Party, but he vehemently denied that he was running as a representative of any political party. In previous Press Syndicate elections, competition was normally held between a so-called "government candidate" and another who sought to stress the independence of the syndicate, and was usually closer to opposition parties. Ousted president Hosni Mubarak's government used to interfere heavily in elections of all professional syndicates, including journalists, doctors and engineers. When the former government would feel that an opposition candidate, especially from the Muslim Brotherhood, stood a good chance of winning, it would resort to various legal trickery to suspend the voting, sometimes for years. But in the case of the Press Syndicate, Mubarak's former government would seek to support its candidate by offering financial incentives such as bonuses or increases in journalists' salaries. In most cases, the government's candidate would win because the majority of journalists seemed to believe that such a choice would offer them more protection, besides other financial gains. "This time, everything is different," Qallash told Al-Ahram Weekly. He was particularly happy with the turnout, seeing it as an indication of the opening of a new chapter in the way journalists see their syndicate and its role in defending their interests. Qallash said he would particularly focus, in case he won, on changing press laws that grant authorities the right to imprison journalists for libel and slander, as well as pressing the new government to assure access to information through a new legislation. He also promised to seek to increase the minimum wage for journalists to at least LE1,600 ($265), improve retirement pensions and restart housing projects for young journalists. El-Wali, meanwhile, said he would use his experience as an economy reporter to look for ways to increase the syndicate's resources, as well as assuring its independence and role in defending freedom of expression. He added that having a strong candidate with enough support from journalists would enable him to stand up to any attempts to curtail basic freedoms by future governments. Informed sources within the syndicate told the Weekly that they expected Qallash to win the top position, although not necessarily with a large margin. One source who requested anonymity said that the "Muslim Brotherhood does not have a strong presence in the Press Syndicate, unlike other syndicates such as doctors and lawyers. I believe only 500 to 600 members of the syndicate belong to the Brotherhood." The source noted that the majority of journalists tend to stand for freedom of expression, and many are not certain that the Brotherhood, with its conservative doctrine, would truly defend such a right. Qallash also has a long history in serving the Press Syndicate, unlike El-Wali who managed only once to win a seat as a council member. Journalists were also hoping that the 12 council members would be diverse enough to reflect the new realities after the revolution. The journalists who spoke to the Weekly said they were hoping to see younger journalists, women and Coptic Christians, among the elected members. Results of the elections were not expected to be out until late Wednesday or early today. If neither Qallash nor El-Wali manage to get 50 per cent plus one of those who registered to vote, a second round will be held today, Thursday, but only for the post of head of the syndicate.
