Cabinet: government committed to impartial media in presidential elections

With the advent of announcing the presidential elections nominations, the government underlined at its meeting on Tuesday under Ahmed Nazif, Egypt's Prime Minister, that it will take part in the election process and will guarantee conducting quiet, transparent and smooth elections which enable citizens to vote in an easy and safe way.

The government promised to maintain full transparent and impartiality in the media.

The cabinet reviewed the final touches of the arrangements for the presidential elections, slated for coming September.

Identifying the final steps of the elections process came in the light of the government's role in preparing for the presidential and parliamentary elections, said Magdy Radi the cabinet spokesman.

The cabinet stressed the importance of holding the elections in a fair and transparent way to achieve the goals of the historic initiative of President Hosni Mubarak in this respect.

The Presidential Elections Committee will soon receive applications to run for president from presidential hopefuls.

The government's part in ensuring fair and transparent presidential and parliamentary elections was the focus of the meeting, cabinet spokesman Dr. Magdi Radi said.

He added that the government has two major responsibilities. The first responsibility relates to security, ensuring a suitable atmosphere for citizens to cast their ballots safely and smoothly.

Secondly, it must safeguard transparent and objective media coverage, according to the Presidential Elections Law.

The Higher Press Council, in a statement issued after a meeting presided over by Safwat El Sherif yesterday, called on journalists to tackle the presidential elections in a transparent and objective manner, according to the Journalists' Charter.

The Council also urged all media people to respect citizens' right to have a free and open national press, safeguarding diversity of opinion and providing precise information and coverage.