“The UMS with all its channels, newspapers, news websites and all its [other] affiliated or owned media outlets will maintain equal distance from all [electoral] candidates and their campaigns,” the group said in a statement on Friday.

This accords with the Constitution, laws and codes regulating coverage of the elections, the statement added.

Furthermore, the group pledged to be open to news regarding all candidates in the presidential race during the campaigning period set by the National Election Authority (NEA).

The UMS highlighted its keenness to raise awareness among citizens of the importance of elections and make them acquainted with the programmes and activities of the electoral candidates.

The UMS also underlined the readiness of all its publications to provide the widest possible coverage of the elections through their entire process, until a winner is announced in December.

Election coverage will be carried out by several trained journalists and media professionals using the latest technology and highest industry standards, the UMS added.

Multi-candidate elections

Egypt is only two months away from its upcoming presidential elections, slated for December, with many political figures announcing runs for the presidency.

In September, the National Dialogue’s Board of Trustees urged state bodies to maintain neutrality during the upcoming presidential elections and safeguard candidates’ right to campaign freely.

Egypt is currently in the candidate endorsement stage. Presidential candidates must secure endorsements from 25,000 eligible voters across at least 15 governorates, or 20 MPs.

The National Election Authority has announced that voting for presidential elections will take place from 10-12 December locally and from 1-3 December for Egyptians abroad.

Potential candidates

Seven political figures have already declared their intentions to run for the presidency, including Gameela Ismail, the chairwoman of the liberal Dostour (Constitution) Party, and Farid Zahran, the chairman of the leftist Egyptian Social Democratic Party.

Other notable candidates include Abdel-Sanad Yamama, head of the Wafd Party; Fouad Badrawi, a former MP and member of the Wafd Party's Higher Council; Hazem Omar, head of the People's Republican Party; Ahmed El-Fadaly, chairman of the Democratic Peace Party; and Ahmed Tantawi, a former MP and the former head of the leftist Al-Karama (Dignity) Party.

While incumbent President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has not officially announced his candidacy for reelection, numerous political parties and unions have expressed their support and encouraged him to run for another term.