Head of the Syndicate of Journalists Khaled El-Balshy. Photo courtesy of Kahled El-Balshy
El-Balshy secured 3,346 votes (55% of the votes), surpassing his main rival Abdel Mohsen Salama, former head of Al-Ahram institution and a current member of the Supreme Council for Media Regulation; who garnered 2,562 votes.
The elections saw 6,051 journalists cast ballots out of 10,232 eligible members, representing a 59.1% turnout, the supervising committee said.
Earlier Friday, the syndicate held its midterm elections to select a new president and six board members.
According to the committee, vote counting began with the ballot boxes for the chairman’s seat, with the results announced first. The counting of votes for the board members' seats followed afterward.
A total of eight candidates vied for the chairmanship, while 43 others competed for six available seats on the syndicate's board.
Khaled is an active figure in the media landscape as an independent journalist. He earned his reputation by working outside of major state-owned or pro-government media institutions.
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