Al-Ahram Weekly Issue No. 249 30 Nov. - 6 Dec. 1995
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875

Ministers' fortunes

By Gamal Essam El-Din

Of the nine cabinet ministers nominated by the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP), one, Kamal El-Shazli, minister of state for parliamentary affairs, was returned uncontested in the Menoufiya constituency of Al-Bagour and the victory of three others was almost certain. But, on the eve of the elections, the remaining five seemed to be facing a fierce battle against formidable opponents.

Amal Osman, minister of social affairs, faced strong rivalry from 13 other candidates in the Giza constituency of Dokki. Her most formidable foes were Ma'moun El-Hodeibi, spokesman of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, who won the constituency's seat in the 1987 elections, and Soad El-Dib, the Wafd candidate.

Osman, who joined the cabinet in 1977, occupied the parliamentary seat of the Cairo constituency of Qasr Al-Nil for the past 16 years. Her election campaign in Dokki during the past few weeks focused on winning the support of hundreds of government employees working at Dokki-based research institutes and the Ministry of Agriculture. Accompanied by Giza Governor Abdel-Rehim Shehata, Osman toured the constituency making promises of improved public services, including the establishment of a sporting centre for young people who cannot afford the high fees of exclusive clubs in that affluent district.

Hodeibi, meanwhile, distributed pamphlets criticising the government's performance and expounding a platform based on the Brotherhood's slogan "Islam is the solution". He also distributed large quantities of books, pens and pencils to school children.

In the Menoufiya constituency of Quesna, Transport Minister Suleiman Metwalli, who has occupied a parliamentary seat uncontested since 1979, faced rivals for the first time - eight of them. One is a Wafdist; most of the others are independents. Metwalli's greatest threats came from the Wafd's Shaker Sallam, a former member of the Muslim Brotherhood; independent Abdel-Shafi El-Tori, a prominent lawyer who hails from a family with an old parliamentary history; independent Ali El-Sayed Gi'edi, a young physician; and independent Hosni Eleiwa, a prominent engineer. The large number of candidates in itself posed a potential problem for Metwalli, who faced the possibility of a split vote and reduced chances. At a recent public rally in Quesna, Metwalli boasted of the services he could offer the district, including new roads, bridges and telephone lines.

In Helwan, south of Cairo, Mohamed El-Ghamrawi, minister of state for military production, running for election for the first time, faced six rivals, including the Wafd's Rafiq Abdel-Sattar, Labour's Mohamed Abdel-Ghani and the Brotherhood's Abul-Ela Madi. Ghamrawi, who joined the cabinet in 1993, was counting on the votes of the large labour community of Helwan, which includes a number of military factories.

Mohamed Ali Mahgoub, minister of Al-Awqaf (religious endowments), was running in Al-Tibbin, a constituency neighbouring Helwan, whose parliamentary seat he had occupied since 1979. But this time he faced strong competition from the Liberal Party's candidate Mustafa Bakri, editor-in-chief of Al-Ahrar, the party's mouthpiece. Bakri used the newspaper, as well as a local Helwan publication, to level charges of corruption against Mahgoub. While Bakri hoped to win the workers' votes, Mahgoub depended on his personal popularity in the district and the services which he extended. Other Mahgoub rivals included Fouad Abdel-Nabi, an independent lawyer, and Fawzi Abdel-Samad, a professor at the Water Research Institute and also an independent.

Supply Minister Ahmed Gweili ran for election for the first time in the constituency of Giza, challenged by nine other candidates. Gweili, a former governor of Ismailia and Damietta, joined the cabinet for the first time in August 1994. His rivals included two Wafdists, Sami Radwan, the official Wafd candidate, and Galal Hassouna, another Wafdist running as an independent. But Gweili's most formidable opponent was independent Abul-Fadl El-Gizawi, a junior member of the Free Officers Movement that overthrew the monarchy in 1952, who has a parliamentary history dating back to 1957.

The other ministers had an easier campaign. Youssef Wali, deputy prime minister, minister of agriculture and NDP secretary-general, Maher Abaza, minister of power, and Mahmoud El-Sherif, minister of local administration, all seemed headed for victory.

Wali ran in the Fayoum constituency of Ibshway, where he had won a parliamentary seat uncontested in every previous election for the past 11 years. This time he faced three rivals, a Wafdist and two independents. However, in addition to his political clout, he enjoys the support of prominent Fayoum families, including El-Basel, El-Miligi, Abul-Seoud, Tantawi and El-Gammal.

Abaza, running in the Sharqiya Governorate constituency of Al-Tilin, also faced opposition for the first time after being returned uncontested three times during the past 11 years. His four opponents were all independents. During the past two weeks, Abaza toured the district, vaunting the services which he had introduced, including sewage and electricity projects and the establishment of a local sports centre. According to Mohamed Saber, the local NDP secretary, Abaza's opposition was weak because his rivals were new faces who lacked his experience and his ability to provide public services.

Meanwhile, El-Sherif, running in the Daqahliya constituency of Mansoura, was a first-time candidate. But he was able to remind voters that his political career actually dated back to 1965, when he was appointed assistant secretary for youth affairs in the Arab Socialist Union, then the nation's sole political party. He faced opposition from two candidates, both independent. His success appeared to be a foregone conclusion, if only because as minister of local administration he heads Egypt's local councils.

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