All you need to know about Press Syndicate's mid-term polls

CAIRO – 12 February 2019: Journalist Diaa Rashwan, chairman of the State Information Service, will run for the chairman post in the Press Syndicate's mid-term polls that will be held on March 1.

“I met a set of officials, including Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and the minister of finance, who demand increasing journalists’ allowance by 25 percent to reach L.E 2100 and I am waiting for a soon reply,” Rashwan noted.

“The Press Syndicate will support all its members in solving their problems; that is my top priority,” Rashwan stated.

In a similar vein, Journalist Siddiq al-Essawi is set to be elected for board membership in mid-term polls.

“My professors and colleagues, I will not say these clichés of -I run for election to restore the dignity of the Syndicate of Journalists-; however, these notions are far significant in their core. But journalists are fed up with long speeches that go in vain. Thus, I aim at making the radical tangible changes journalists are in dire need of,” Essawi stated.
“Unfortunately, some journalists are underpaid. A large category of journalists gets LE 500 or 700; they do not reach the minimum rate of pay,” Essawi elaborated.

“I do not want to say futile speeches; I would rather trigger actions. So, my first step will be engaging in a set of meetings with officials to facilitate press process and I will announce all the results as soon as possible,” Essawi assured.

“I am obliged to offer subsidized courses and diplomas in prestigious academies of the Ministry of Higher Education. Some 70 percent of these plans will be executed before the election. I hope you support me," Essawy concluded.

It is worth mentioning that the supervising committee started Sunday to receive candidacy applications on the chairman post and six board member posts for the mid-term polls that will be held next March.

The Press Syndicate set four days to receive rebuttals and appeals starting from February 15 until February 19 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Names of winners will be announced at the end of the last day.

Moreover, Gamal Abdel-Rahim, the panel’s chairman, said that application forms had been prepared to be filled out by the candidates.

The following list includes names of chairman post candidates:
1. Ahmed el-Shamy (Al Gomhuria Newspaper )
2. Sayed el-Askandrany (Al-Ahram Newspaper)
3. Diaa Rashwan (Al-Ahram Newspaper)
4. Abdel Nabi Abdel Sattar (Al Ghad Newspaper)
5. Raffat Rashad (Akhbar el-Youm Newspaper)
Board member candidates come as follows:
1. Ahmed el-Shamy (Al Gomhuria Newspaper)
2. Al-Arif Allah Talat (Akhaber el-Youm Newspaper)
3. Amira Adly (Al-Ahram Newspaper)
4. Eman Auf (Al Mal Newspaper)
5. Ehab Qamoura (Al-Ahram Newspaper)
6. Bahaa Mubasher (Al-Ahram Newspaper)
7. Tamer Hindawi (Elkaramh Newspaper)
8. Hazem Hosny (Akhaber el-Youm Newspaper)
9. Doaa Najjar (Al Gomhuria Newspaper)
10. Raymond Francis (Al-Masr Al-Hur Newspaper)
11. Sayed Badry (Ad-Diyar Newspaper)
12. Siddiq al-Essawi (El Tahrir Newspaper)
13. Amr el-Kashef (Middle East News Agency MENA)
14. Fatma Mostafa (Akhaber el-Youm Newspaper)
15. Mohsen Hashim (Al-Gail Newspaper)
16. Mohamed al-Asmaei (Akhbar el-Youm Newspaper)
17. Mohamed Shabana (Al-Ahram Newspaper)
18. Mohamed Youssef (El Dostor Newspaper)
19. Mohamed Yehia Youssef (Akhbar el-Youm Newspaper)
20. Hashim Younis (Al-Ahram Newspaper)
21. Haitham al-Nuwahey (Akhbar el-Youm Newspaper)
22. Wagdy Reizk (Al-Ahram Newspaper)
23. Yasser el-Sagan (Al Watani El youm Newspaper)