Al-Dostour Chairperson Reda Edward today decided to appoint Moataz al-Hadidi as chief editor of the paper following the sacking of the paper's founder and former chief editor Ibrahim Eissa, who was known for his acerbic criticism of President Hosni Mubarak's regime. Edward, also a prominent Wafd Party leader, dismissed Eissa in October in a step that was viewed by observers as an attempt to woo the Egyptian regime before parliamentary elections. Sources from Al-Dostour said the new editor-in-chief will have Mohamed Helal and Ahmed Mostafa as his assisting managing editors. Al-Hadidi is a reporter for Al-Gomhorriya where he is responsible for the paper's NGO section. Ayman Sharaf, who stepped into Eissa's shoes as chief editor, submitted his resignation last week over disagreements with Edward. Edward together with the president of the Wafd Party purchased Al-Dostour newspaper on 23 August. Observers feared the step was intended to water down the paper's criticism of scenarios where power is transferred to the Egyptian president's son. With Eissa as chief editor from 2005 to 2010, Al-Dostour became the fifth most circulated newspaper in Egypt. Observers say that distribution numbers have dropped sharply over the past few months, however.
