Egyptians urge ElBaradei to run for president
Sat, 20 Feb 2010 | PressTV
Supporters of the former IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei prepare to greet him at Cairo airport on Feb. 19, 2010. |
The retired former head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Mohamed ElBaradei, has arrived in Egypt with a bid to seek constitutional changes that would allow him to run for the 2011 presidential election.
A host of supporters greeted the Nobel Peace laureate, who stepped down as the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in November, upon his arrival in Cairo on Friday.
On the eve of his return, the 67-year-old said he planned to dedicate himself to improving democracy in the country.
ElBaradie was the director general of the IAEA for 12 years and is officially barred from entering as a presidential candidate by the current Egyptian law, which permits only 'leading politicians' with one year experience in a party that has been in existence for fives years.
He has called for political reforms in Egypt that would limit the powers of the leader, a challenge to President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year-rule.
International observers, however, believe that the 81-year-old Mubarak is preparing to set the stage for handing power over to his son, Gamal.
Just before his retirement, ElBaradei conditioned any interest in a presidential candidacy on guarantees of a free and fair election, which would depend on constitutional reforms in Egypt, something that is deemed highly unlikely given the autocratic nature of the US-backed regime.
A host of supporters greeted the Nobel Peace laureate, who stepped down as the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in November, upon his arrival in Cairo on Friday.
On the eve of his return, the 67-year-old said he planned to dedicate himself to improving democracy in the country.
ElBaradie was the director general of the IAEA for 12 years and is officially barred from entering as a presidential candidate by the current Egyptian law, which permits only 'leading politicians' with one year experience in a party that has been in existence for fives years.
He has called for political reforms in Egypt that would limit the powers of the leader, a challenge to President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year-rule.
International observers, however, believe that the 81-year-old Mubarak is preparing to set the stage for handing power over to his son, Gamal.
Just before his retirement, ElBaradei conditioned any interest in a presidential candidacy on guarantees of a free and fair election, which would depend on constitutional reforms in Egypt, something that is deemed highly unlikely given the autocratic nature of the US-backed regime.
returns to Egypt
February 19, 2010 | Hundreds of Egyptian opposition supporters defied warnings to welcome home Nobel Peace laureate and former UN atomic watchdog chief Mohamed ElBaradei on Friday amid hopes he will run for president
???? lluminati, NATO, UN, NWO ???? asset now going to be given his own country for playing the game so well. Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has returned to his home country Egypt amid speculation that he may run for presidency in the coming election.
Crowds of supporters welcomed him back at the airport in Cairo on Friday, forcing him to use a private exit for his own security.
His return comes amid reports that he may run for president next year, challenging the three-decade rule of Hosni Mubarak.
