Political Allegiances

In Egypt, the media sector is paramount to the political system. The Egyptian State and the Security bodies are some of the most important players in the media field, directly linked to 24 out of the 41 media outlets covered by the MOM (58,5%). 

While only a small proportion of the owners surveyed by the MOM are politically affiliated (one is an Egyptian MP, one held a position at the Parliament, three were affiliated to political parties), ten out of the seventeen individual owners are businessmen showing allegiance to the executive authority to keep their media activity afloat.  

Media owners directly affiliated with politics

• Abdel Rahim Ali (Al Bawaba and Al Bawaba News) is a member of the House of Representatives. He was elected in 2015 for the Dokki and Agouza constituencies, in the Giza governorate (Cairo), also known for his strong relationship with the UAE government. 
• Naguib Sawiris (Masrawy) founded the Free Egyptians Party in 2011. A liberal party, aimed at serving as opposition party, it became the party with the largest representation in the parliament with 10.9% of the seats in 2015. But in 2017, Sawiris was expelled from it following months of internal dispute. The party is now dominated by a wing closer to Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. 

Businessmen showing allegiance to al-Sisi 

• Mohamed Al-Amin, one of the most prominent Egyptian businessmen in the media sector, sits now on the board of the Egyptian Media Group. He is said to have coordinated several meetings with businessmen for al-Sisi, and was one of the main donors to Tahya Masr (Long Live Egypt), a fund created in 2016 by the Central Bank under the direct supervision of President al-Sisi and aimed at solving Egypt’s economic crisis.
• Tamer Morsi : now the Chairman of EMG, he was appointed by the General Intelligence-owned Eagle Capital early 2018 to reward his good relations with the regime.
• Imad El Din Adeeb (Nogoum FM) is a businessman and a TV host who openly supports al-Sisi's regime. 

Businessmen who showed allegiance to Mubarak 

• Taher Helmy (Nogoum FM) was a member of the economic policy committees of the National Democratic Party led by President Mubarak.
• Salah Diab (Al Masry Al Youm) was prominent member of the liberal al-Wafd political party, and a strong supporter of the Mubarak regime.
• Nassif Kauzman (El Fagr) is a businessman who was able to invest in media during the Mubarak era due to his known good relations with the regime.
• Reda Edward (Al Dostor) is a businessman and politician. A member of the Supreme Committee of the Wafd Party in 2010, he fired opposition journalist Ibrahim Issa, when he became the Chairman of the newspaper.
• Mohamed Abou El Enein  (Sadal El Balad TV and online), is the former head of the Industry and Energy Committee of the Egyptian parliament. He was accused in several cases of financial corruption after the revolution but was not convicted in any of them. His media outlets are known to support al-Sisi's policies.
• Ahmed Bahgat (Dream TV) is known for his close ties to the Mubarak regime and particularly to the former President’s sons.

Some of these businessmen are now under pressure to sell their shares to media companies with closer ties to al-Sisi's regime.