The National Press Authority (NPA) announced on Wednesday the Head of Press Syndicate Abdelmohsen Salama as the new chairperson of the main state-owned newspaper, Al-Ahram, during a press conference.

The NPA held a meeting on Wednesday to reshuffle the chairpersons and editors-in-chief of state-owned newspapers, as part of its project of reconstructing national journalistic institutions.

The project includes the appointment of chairpersons and editors on a professional basis, as well as the reconstitution of the organisational hierarchy and the financial development of state-owned newspapers.

Furthermore, member of the NPA Alaa Thabet was selected as the editor-in-chief of Al-Ahram.

Meanwhile Yasser Rezk, the chairperson of the second biggest state-owned newspaper, Al-Akhbar, remained in office.

Salama was the former managing editor of Al-Ahram and has won the recent Press Syndicate elections in March.

The NPA was established by a presidential decree earlier this year to act as a replacement of the former Supreme Press Council. Its role also includes looking into press-related legislations and monitoring the performance of state-owned newspapers on the financial and administrative levels.