Journalists Syndicate President Makram Mohamed Ahmed announced Tuesday that he was leaving office due to ill health. Ahmed sent a letter of resignation to the syndicate's undersecretary, according to syndicate secretary Hatem Zakaria, who added that the syndicate's board of directors decided on Tueday to form an interim board of directors until new elections are held. Egyptian journalists called for withdrawing confidence from their syndicate president, Makram Mohamed Ahmed, after the signatures of 250 members of the syndicate's general assembly were gathered. The journalists said they had enough signatures to propose a vote of no confidence and accused Ahmed of taking a weak stance on assaults against reporters during the protests calling for the departure of former President Hosni Mubarak. At least one reporter was killed by police in the protests that erupted on 25 January. Reporters said their work was also blocked by security. Before resigning from his position as chairperson of Dar al-Hilal Publishing, Ahmed used to be a speech-writer for President Hosni Mubarak. It is widely believed that Ahmed won last year's syndicate elections due to heavy support from the heads of national newspapers against an independent candidate known for his opposition to ousted President Mubarak's regime. Translated from The Arabic Edition.
