New regulations for presidential elections’ coverage to be announced

CAIRO – 20 September 2017: The Supreme Council for Media Regulation will issue a statement on Wednesday regarding the coverage of the Egyptian presidential elections, setting controls to ensure equal opportunities for all candidates, and protection of their rights and reputation.

Makram Mohammed Ahmed, head of the Supreme Council, said the statement would explain the punitive actions that can be taken, whether by referring the offending journalist or media, as well as condemning all attempts at deliberate distortion.

Ahmed revealed that the Council decided to form a committee to monitor and follow up the media for upcoming presidential elections.

He pointed out that the goal of the committee is to raise the amount of people voting. “People not voting means that they don’t care about the process, and we will only achieve our goals with the participation of the citizens,” Ahmed stated.

In the same context, the Training Committee of the Council will hold training courses for journalists and media professionals who will cover the upcoming presidential elections. A source at the council said that the training program includes workshops that will be attended by media experts from inside and outside the council.

In April 2017, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi issued a decree to establish three new bodies to regulate the work of the media in Egypt - the Supreme Council for Media Regulation (SCMR), the National Press Authority (NPA) and the National Media Authority (NMA).

A law on the institutional regulation of the press and the media in Egypt was approved by Egypt’s Parliament on Tuesday.

In December 2016, the Egyptian Parliament approved a law on the "Institutional Regulation of the Press and the Media in Egypt."