Gezira Club elections are a respectable affair The election of a new Gezira board is scheduled for Friday 22 September. Club members will select who they want to lead the club for the next four years. Unlike other rowdy elections staged previously in several Egyptian clubs, Gezira Club remains calm and collected. While advertising billboards and banners are everywhere in the club promoting the candidates, and the main point of conversation is the elections, the atmosphere is composed and far from charged. Though competing against each other, all the candidates are following an unwritten pledge to promote themselves without launching a smear campaign against the others. Each candidate is concentrating solely on his or her own achievements. Many say the cleanliness of the election campaign so far is a reflection of the club's famed elite and aristocratic identity. The candidates' programmes seem alike. They all agree on the same mottoes, "for a better Gezira", "for the sake of Gezira", and "Gezira comes first". The programmes are aimed at preserving the club's heritage and unique identity, promising new projects, and maintaining sports development which has seen the club deliver world champions in basketball, synchronised swimming, squash, gymnastics, water polo and tennis. Six candidates are running for the presidency, including the current club president Ahmed El-Said who has chosen his "cabinet" on a criteria based on experience and newness. Five of them have experience as former members while the remainder will be joining the board for the first time. El-Said's list includes Amr Gazarine as vice president, Gamal Moharram as treasurer, and members Ihab Leheita, Raouf Nour, Badawi Khalifa, Ashraf Moussa, Mohamed El-Sawi, Nihal Ahdi and Ismail Ramzi. Also seeking the presidency is Hamada El-Demerdash. Ahmed Barada would be his vice president in addition to the following members: Yasser El-Farnawani as treasurer and members Tarek El-Beheiri, Hassanein Sharaf, Sherif Ashour, Heba El-Sheikh, Ahmed Naguib and Karim El-Masri. Adel Abdel-Baqi is also vying for the No 1 job. The would-be vice president is Islam El-Sanhouri, Ibrahim Khashaba as treasurer and members Mohad Kamel, Salem Heikal, Ahmed Abou El-Fetouh, Mustafa Bahgat and Nader Goice. Three other candidates running for the presidency, former club president Ramzi Rashid, El-Sayed Baraka and Osman El-Abassi, have not created a list of names. They are leaving that to members to decide on whoever they think is best to join them.
