A former leader of the dismantled National Democratic Party (NDP) has been elected dean of Port Said University's Faculty of Commerce. Mohamed Abdel Naeem, the new dean, was a Port Said secretary for the NDP and a police officer. He obtained a PhD in commercial law and was hired at Port Said University after leaving his job at the Interior Ministry. He fought off fierce competition from four other nominees, including Mohamed Naguib, the former dean. Iman Saleh, a former NDP women's secretary and member of the Port Said local council, is selected as the Faculty of Commerce's representative in the committee that will elect the university president. Elections for senior faculty posts began across Egypt on Saturday. According to election results announced so far, five current deans will retain their positions at Cairo University. Students and teaching staff at Egyptian universities began widescale protests in March to call for the removal of all university leaders appointed by the regime of former President Hosni Mubarak. Observers say it chose leaders known for their loyalty to the regime. They also say that the dissolved State Security Investigation Services interfered in the choice of university leaders. In August, the cabinet of ministers ordered the dismissal of all university leaders, but the Higher Education Ministry then decided new leaders should be elected only for positions becoming vacant due to resignations or end of service. Some deans resigned in order to be democratically elected. Translated from the Arabic Edition
