Fierce competition is expected in the upcoming Press Syndicate elections -- and so are the surprises. Shaden Shehab reports The past few months have seen much legal wrangling over -- and several postponements of -- the next round of Press Syndicate elections. Now that the elections for the syndicate's chairman post and its 12 council seats have finally been scheduled for 30 July, journalists are wondering whether any of the candidates running for the organisation's top job will be able to fill outgoing chairman Ibrahim Nafie's shoes. Many journalists are concerned about their future chairman and council members not being powerful enough to face the challenges of what is sure to be a critical period. They fear that the Press Syndicate may end up like other syndicates, prey to the whims of partisan politics, and open to the possibility of being frozen by the government for a multitude of reasons. These fears also stem from the legal turmoil of the past few months, which to some journalists revealed a tendency for certain forces to meddle in the syndicate's internal affairs. The legal wrangling began in early June, when Hanaa El-Mansi, chairman of the South Cairo Court and the Judicial Committee for Professional Syndicates (the body responsible for organising professional syndicate elections in accordance with 1993's Law 100), called for the syndicate elections to be held on 25 June. El- Mansi's decision also mandated that the syndicate had to comply with previous court rulings concerning people who were trying to become members of the syndicate, but were rejected because they did not meet the requirements of the Press Syndicate law. El-Mansi's decision thus made the 1999 and 2001 elections for syndicate chairman and council members null and void. The syndicate embraced this part of El-Mansi's decision, while simultaneously refusing to break the Press Syndicate law and allow the "would-be members" into the syndicate. Accordingly, Ibrahim Nafie, who has been chairman since 1999, nominated himself again -- even though Press Syndicate Law 76 of 1976 stipulates that the chairman is elected every two years for a maximum of two consecutive terms. On 15 June, however, an administrative court scrapped the judicial committee's decision. The court put the 25 June elections on hold since the people with court rulings declaring them members had not been placed on voting lists as stipulated by El-Mansi's decision. Another ruling by the same court also prevented Nafie from nominating himself again. The Supreme Administrative Court, however, later scrapped that ruling, thus allowing Nafie to renominate himself. On his own, however, Nafie later surprised the journalistic community by deciding not to run for chairman after all -- in order, he said, to "assert the syndicate's law". Although many journalists were disappointed, Nafie's decision was greeted with respect since it would certainly help to prevent the Press Syndicate law from being marginalised. The logic was that if journalists were refusing to allow certain people to become syndicate members because they do not meet the criteria of the Press Syndicate law, then Nafie should not run for a third term in breach of the syndicate law either. Despite all this, the judicial committee again mandated that the 18 controversial would-be members be added to the voting lists, and stipulated that the elections take place on 30 June. The syndicate, meanwhile, has contested that decision with the Administrative Court, which is expected to rule on the matter before elections take place. Whether or not this issue will once more delay the elections is anybody's guess. In any case, nominations and campaigning have been in full swing, with four candidates running for the chairman's post and 68 for the council seats. Salah Montasser, a prominent Al-Ahram columnist, Galal Aref, a prominent Akhbar Al-Youm writer, Osama Karam of Al- Ahrar and Ibrahim Dessouqi of the Middle East News Agency (MENA), are running for the post of chairman. Since Karam and Dessouqi are not very well known, the real competition is between Montasser and Aref. The two seem to be neck to neck, with no obvious favourite, unlike in previous elections, which were dominated by either Nafie, or Al- Mussawar Chief Editor Makram Mohamed Ahmed. Whenever either Ahmed or Nafie ran against other candidates, they were virtually ensured victory, since both had the respect of a majority of journalists and the blessing of the government. Nafie was syndicate chairman from 1993- 1997, then from 1999 until today. Ahmed was chairman from 1997-1999. While 73-year-old Montasser is a prominent columnist, many journalists argue that he has never been active in Press Syndicate affairs. His "sudden" interest in the chairman's post is thus being questioned. Mostly known for his anti-smoking campaign, Montasser has also never played an important decision- making role in Al-Ahram. While campaigning, Montasser has consistently argued that he was "not involved in decision-making in Al-Ahram because I do not hold an executive job". He also said that his involvement in journalists' affairs "should not be judged by how often I went to the Press Syndicate's headquarters." He assured people that he was greatly involved in the politics of journalism via his membership in the Higher Press Council and the Shura Council. Montasser started his journalistic career in 1953 at the weekly magazine Akher Sa'a. From 1958-1985, he worked at Al-Ahram, eventually becoming managing editor. He was then appointed board chairman of Dar Al-Hilal and chief editor of its weekly magazine October. In 1993, he rejoined Al-Ahram as a daily columnist. Montasser has also been facing fire for having visited Israel twice, and thus breaking the Press Syndicate regulations prohibiting journalists from doing just that. "I did visit Israel in 1994," Montasser said, "circumstances were different then... I went there to gather information and learn more about them. I did not go as a propagator, or out of infatuation." He also said that he would not visit now, "nor will I encourage anyone to". As for his platform, Montasser said he "would concentrate on three things: maximising the Press Syndicate's budget; assuring the syndicate's unity, and protecting the Press Syndicate law". Many journalists think Montasser's friendly relations with Nafie will help his chances, especially considering that Montasser himself said his platform was the same as Nafie's, and that he will always listen to Nafie's advice. In an interview with the London-based Al- Hayat newspaper, Nafie said that despite his withdrawal from the elections, he would continue to fulfil his duties as an active syndicate member. "I will work on supporting [the new chairman] with all my strength," he said. Nafie also said that the syndicate needed a "powerful" chairman, and a "compatible" board. According to Montasser, "no one can be successful without good relations with both the government and other press organisations, both of which I enjoy." The other major candidate, Aref, has been with Akhbar Al-Youm since the '60s. Aref was layout editor of Akhbar Al-Youm, and is currently the head of Kuwaiti newspaper Al- Bayan's Cairo office. Although he is popular, observers said his "weakness" lies in not having strong relations with the government. Some journalists believe that, as a result, Aref could end up embroiling the syndicate in useless and dangerous confrontations with the government. For his part, Aref told Al-Ahram Weekly that not being a government candidate should not be looked upon as a defect. "I can still be a good negotiator," he said, " and I will not be making a sport out of confronting the government." Nonetheless, he believes there are many unsettled issues that need to be discussed, such as the "imprisonment of journalists for publication offences," and "the licensing of newspapers". Aref, who has previously run for chairman against Nafie and lost, was a syndicate council member from 1983-1985. Analysts said his chances this time depended on how strongly journalists were seeking change. Out of 68 contestants vying for the syndicate's council seats, 19 are from Al-Ahram, eight from Al-Akhbar, and eight from Al- Gomhouriya. Eight members of the outgoing council have re-nominated themselves. The candidates span the spectrum of political ideologies, including supporters of the ruling National Democratic Party, liberals, leftists and Islamists. Out of 4,085 syndicate members, 1,207 work for Al-Ahram, 525 for Al-Akhbar, and 526 for Al-Gomhouriya.
