CAIRO: Sameh Ashour was reelected as chief of the Lawyers' Syndicate, renewing his tenure for a third time as results were announced Sunday night. Ashour defeated his rivals Mohamed Kamel, vice president of Al-Wafd party, who was supported by the Muslim Brotherhood (MB); Mukhtar Noah, supported by Al-Gama'a Al-Islamiya; and Islamist lawyer Montasser El-Zayat, the former rapporteur of the freedoms committee in the syndicate. The head of the Lawyers' Syndicate, who is also chairman of the Arab Nasserist party, along with the new elected board, will have to meet the political expectations and the financial demands of lawyers. Lawyers who participated in the elections told Daily News Egypt on Sunday that they want a strong board that will “preserve the dignity of lawyers, which is being trampled by the police and the judges.” They are also demanding proper pensions, better medical facilities and training programs for young lawyers. "The first thing I will do is convene two general assemblies for lawyers. The first to discuss increasing lawyers' pensions and the second to discuss the draft judicial authority law," Ashour told the press. The syndicate elections followed a fierce battle between judges and lawyers over amendments to the Judicial Authority Law, which lawyers deemed insulting because it gave judges the power to order their arrest in cases of contempt of court. Ashour stressed that the syndicate will have a significant role in overseeing the upcoming parliamentary elections. The polls closed by 5 pm Sunday in a calm atmosphere without the interference or the presence of security as clashes continued between protesters and central security forces (CSF) in Tahrir Square. Preliminary results revealed that the Brotherhood candidates won the largest number of seats on the syndicate board. Possible winners include MB members Mohamed Toson and Nasser Al-Hafy, on the general level while nine MB-affiliated candidates won the membership of the board for the courts of first instance in Giza. Three other MB-affiliated candidates won the seats for Assiut, North Cairo and Qalubiya courts of first instance.
