BEIRUT: Awni al-Kaaki, the editor-in-chief and publisher of Ash-Sharq newspaper, will be elected the new head of the Press Federation Thursday, after members of his list won all 18 seats on the body’s board.
Speaking to The Daily Star Monday, Kaaki promised that the new board would lay down a program to improve the press in Lebanon.
“There are projects [that will be implemented]. The federation needs new momentum,” Kaaki said.
“I think all members of the new board want to make achievements. Everyone has a set of ideas that we will gather and see what we can implement,” he added.
The board is comprised of 18 members; 12 of these represent daily political publications, five represent weekly or monthly political publications, and one represents nonpolitical publications and news agencies.
The 17 board members representing political publications were elected by 46 owners or representatives of political publications who have paid their annual subscriptions to the federation. Those eligible to vote were representatives of 94 political publications, most of which are not published.
Kaaki’s list was elected for a three-year term. He replaces Mohammad Baalbaki, who had been repeatedly elected head of the Press Federation since 1982.
Besides Kaaki, those representing daily political publications on the new board are Rafik Khoury, Malek Mrowa, George Soulage, Yasser Akkawi, Ghassan Hajjar, Thaer Abbas, Fadi Nun, Talal Hatoum, George Bashir, Ghassan Omeira and Abdel-Karim al-Khalil.
Walid Awad, Marcel Nadim, George Traboulsi, Bassam Afifi and Faisal Abu Zaki are representing monthly or weekly political publications, while Philip Abi Aql won unopposed in the post representing the nonpolitical ones and news agencies.
Kaaki said that the newly elected members of the board were “serious” and highly representative of circulating publications.
The elections, which took place at the Press Federation headquarters in Raouche, were boycotted by Salah Salam, the editor-in-chief of Al-Liwaa newspaper, who formed an opposing list. Members of Salam’s list did not show up either.
Representatives of As-Safir and Al-Akhbar newspapers, both close to the March 8 coalition, also skipped the election in protest, along with representatives of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party’s Al-Binaa newspaper, or publications close to Hezbollah and the Kataeb Party.
Although both Salam and Kaaki are close to the Future Movement, the group chose to back Kaaki in the elections.
Kaaki said he respected the decision of those newspapers that decided to boycott the polls.
“This is a democratic state and based on democracy, they can attend and vote against us or they can express any form of opposition. This is their right which we respect,” Kaaki said.
“We enjoy practicing democracy.”
Kaaki said that the interference of political parties in the elections had been minimal this time.
The new board will meet Thursday noon to elect a head for the Press Federation, a deputy head, a treasurer, and a secretary, along with members for other positions.
Hussein Koteich, who was a candidate on Salam’s list, said the boycott was to express their disgust of the “flagrant fraud and manipulation” carried out by the voters on Kaaki’s list.
He said that candidates on Salam’s list were preparing to challenge the elections results before the relevant court.
Koteich said that while the Federation’s bylaws stipulated that the list of voters should be ready three weeks before the date of the polls, names were added to the list during that time.
“They even added the name of a representative for the Dabbour magazine just today,” he said.
Koteich added that four of the voters were absent and had people vote for them, which was illegal.
Ghassan Hajjar, who is the managing editor of An-Nahar newspaper, praised the first transition of power in the leadership post in more than three decades.
He said he had hoped all newspapers would attend the elections.
“This sector is not in need of problems but of uniting efforts because it is facing an existential threat,” Hajjar said.
He hoped that the new board would lay down a plan to support newspapers, which he said were suffering a lot.
No comments:
Post a Comment