Egyptian presidential candidate Mohamed El-Baradei Cairo – Akram Ali Egyptian presidential candidate Mohamed El-Baradei published a video on Youtube explaining why he recently pulled out of the elections. “My conscience does not permit me to run for the presidency or any other official position unless it is within a real democratic system. I reviewed the best ways to serve the goals of the revolution amid this reality, and I found no position within the official framework, including the post of the president,” said former head of the UN nuclear watchdog.
El-Baradei continued saying that when he returned to Egypt, he was asked to join political parties and work under the umbrella of official political work, however, he chose to work outside the official framework to have more flexibility and ability to conduct actual changes. He still considers this to be the best way to achieve change, by working with the youth without being tied to certain obligations. He explained that those who lit the spark of the revolution” should be the ones running it.”
El-Baradei stressed that the youth should organize themselves in a coalition or a party, in preparation to rule Egypt in the coming phase, saying that they should let go of their differences, unite, and work with all categories of the people in order to achieve the goals of the revolution.
“We have to focus in the coming phase on realizing the slogan raised by the revolution.. ‘Bread, Freedom, and Human Dignity’,” he said, stressing on the need for the community to be united, and saying that change might take time but will eventually take place.
The Nobel laureate strongly criticized the military rule of the transitional phase, describing it as “the worst that can be,” pointing out that the first thing that should have happened following the overthrow of the regime, was a reunion of the people and putting a new constitution and electoral laws in a “spirit of consensus”.
“Democracy is not just going to the ballot boxes to vote, but it is for everyone among the people to feel represented in the parliament,” he added.
El-Baradei further stated that no real change took place in the state media, as it still speaks for the regime, that the judiciary still needs to be purged, but that the worst of all, according to him, is the way the you are being treated; where some are killed and harshly beaten, and some were exposed to ‘virginity checks’, which he considered shameful. However, he emphasized that despite everything the revolution will make it through, calling on everyone to remain optimistic. “The revolution will succeed because you know the way,” he said.
Conversely, SCAF supporters expressed their happiness with El-Baradei’s announcement to withdraw from the Egyptian presidential race, saying that he is not the right person to rule Egypt, and going as far as saying that Egypt “needs someone with a military background to rule it.” They described Baradei’s decision as a great victory to Egypt.
General coordinator of Egypt Above All coalition Mahmoud Atia stated that he welcomed El-Baradei’s decisio, as he realized, according to Atia, that he would not be able to drive Egypt out of its current crisis, particularly that “he started losing his credibility among the Egyptian people.” Atia emphasized that Egypt needs a military leader, as opposed to someone like Mohamed El-Baradei.
In the same context, SCAF supporters cheered and congratulated each other on their Facebook pages, with comments saying that the ex-head of the UN nuclear watchdog and Nobel Prize winner had slim chances for winning the presidential elections, adding that he probably realized he would not be able to confront Ahmed Shafiq and other “strong candidates” in the presidential race, according to them.