SCMR : we aim to apply the highest int’l standards in media coverage of elections

CAIRO – 6 October 2023: Egypt's Supreme Council for Media Regulations (SCMR) said that the latest statement issued by the Parliament against Egypt was merely a repetition of previous statements that it had issued before and after 2011; generalizing individual cases pending before the judiciary as though they constitute the overall political reality in Egypt, and raising doubts about the freedom of the press and media during presidential polls, despite the fact that the National Elections Authority has already agreed on all requests submitted to it from various local and foreign media to cover the election process.

The council confirmed in a statement issued Friday that it has recently agreed to grant practicing licenses to more than 100 media outlets that met the set legal conditions, promising that within just a few days it will be organizing a ceremony to hand over a large number of licenses to various media outlets. It asserted as well that it has not taken any decisions to close any media outlets, and is always keen on being a defender of the freedom of the press and media.

SCMR said in its statement that, under its constitutional and legal mandate, it issued a code for media coverage of the election that complies with the standards required by international bodies and organizations, including those of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Code of Conduct for monitoring elections in the European Union. Also, “we are guided by democratic models in various countries of the world,” it affirmed.

The council did not receive any complaints from any media outlets operating in the country of attempts to restrict them or prevent them from covering news, the statement read, stressing that SCMR aims to apply international standards during the presidential election in Egypt.

The council appealed to the member states of the European Parliament to be careful about fake news published by some media outlets that are far from professionalism and credibility. It expressed its readiness to receive members of the European Parliament’s Media Committee and exchange visions and ideas, leading to reaching the highest international rates for media coverage, without prejudice to the sovereignty of the constitutional institutions or interference in their affairs, “but within the framework of dialogue, clarification of facts and exchange of ideas”.