More than 1000 Egyptians gathered last weekend at Cairo airport to welcome home Mohamed ElBaradei, former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. While Egypt’s independent newspapers gave prominence coverage to his homecoming, the State-owned media all but ignored the event.Mr ElBaradei has not lived in Egypt for decades but is believed by some political observers to be considering running for the presidency in next year’s election. His supporters waved Egyptian flags, held up posters saying “Yes, to ElBaradei for President”, and sang the national anthem.
For some Egyptians Mr ElBaradei represents a new face for the change they are seeking, untainted by allegations of corruption. But detractors say he is out of touch with Egyptian life, having lived abroad for so many years.
Potential challenger
Mr ElBaradei, 67, has built a strong reputation as head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.
He stepped down last November and is now seen as the most credible potential challenger for the Egyptian presidency. He said he might stand if there were reforms to guarantee a fair election and if he could run as an independent. But for this to happen the Constitution would have to be amended.
Controversial reactions, both on the political arena and by the media, followed Mr ElBaradei’s declarations. Some saw the declarations as just an embarrassing message to the regime, hinting at the inadequacy of the election process in Egypt, especially at the practical monopolisation of the presidential election by the ruling regime and the ruling party. Others, however, saw in them a true intention of Mr ElBaradei to actively participate in Egyptian political life.
Once Mr ElBaradei declared he might run as an independent if a fair election was guaranteed, the State-owned media branded him as ‘Egypt’s Swedish president’, hinting that he held Swedish citizenship alongside his Egyptian one. But this was later proved untrue; he only holds the Egyptian nationality.
The independent media welcomed Mr ElBaradei’s possible presidential candidacy, describing him as ‘the awaited’. While opposition activists have encouraged him to go ahead with his declared agenda to introduce wider democratic reforms, others advised him to keep a low profile.
Practically not possible
In an interview with the independent satellite channel Dream, Mr ElBaradei called for a constitutional amendment that would enable him and other independents to become presidential candidates.
Current constitutional rules effectively bar him from standing in a presidential race. A contender must have been a leading member of a political party represented in Parliament for at least a year.
To stand as an independent candidate now, he would need at least 250 signatures from officials in elected bodies, but these are dominated by the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP).
Mr ElBaradei has said that Article 76 of the Constitution, which bars him and any independent from running for Egypt’s presidency, violates the international treaty for civic and political rights.
From a practical point of view, the liberal writer Salah Eissa commented to Watani that there was not sufficient time for a constitutional amendment to be enacted and take effect before the upcoming presidential elections.
Open question
But what exactly is the role Mr ElBaradei envisions for himself on the Egyptian front? To the question which intrigued many Egyptians, Mr ElBaradei maintained that he wished to propagate concepts of real freedom and social equality for a better Egypt. But it is an open question how he intends to achieve that; he gave no hint of any specific system, tool, or programme he intends to use.
Mr ElBaradei said he will not establish a new political party through which he can run for president, “I will not seek approval for the establishment of a new party from a committee chaired by the secretary-general of the NDP, Safwat al-Sharif”, he explained. He does not intend to join any existing political party. Yet he said: “If people ask me to run for president I definitely will, because I truly wish to serve my country. I am in need of neither money nor fame, but I have enough ideas to make a difference in Egypt.”
Political mobility
“The political system in Egypt is currently in dire need for a figure like Mr ElBaradei to contend with President Mubarak for the presidency” Mr Eissa told Watani. “Running the elections as the sole viable contender gives an impression of a weak Mubarak and a frail Egyptian political regime.”
Mr Eissa believes that if Mr ElBaradei runs against Mubarak, President Mubarak would win since Egyptians are more inclined towards stability and would consequently choose the candidate they know best. The folk wisdom goes: “The one you know is better than the one you don’t”. Egyptians are usually wary of the relatively unknown, he says.
According to Emad Gad of Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, the emergence of Mr ElBaradei creates political mobility on the Egyptian arena. But what precisely would be his role in Egypt’s near future can only be determined once President Mubarak announces his decision to run or not to run, Mr Gad told Watani. “I expect Mubarak to end this controversy by running for and winning next year’s elections, following which the State would embark on constitutional reforms that would allow wider participation in future elections.”
ElBaradei in a few lines
• He was born and raised in Cairo, Egypt. He was one of five children of Mustafa ElBaradei, an attorney who headed the Egyptian Bar Association.
• He earned a Bachelor’s degree in law from Cairo University in 1962, followed by a DEA degree in International Law at the HEI in Geneva and a PhD in International Law at the New York University School of Law in 1974.
• His diplomatic career began in 1964 in the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign affairs, where he served in the Permanent Missions of Egypt to the United Nations in New York and in Geneva. From 1974 to 1978, he was a special assistant to the Egyptian Foreign Minister. In 1980, he became a senior fellow in charge of the International Law Program at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. In 1984, ElBaradei became a senior staff member of the IAEA Secretariat
• He began serving as Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on 1 December 1997. He was re-elected for two more four-year terms in 2001 and 2005. His third and last term ended in November 2009.
• ElBaradei and the IAEA were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.
• He is married to Aida El-Kachef and has two children. Their daughter Laila is a lawyer who lives in London.
ElBaradei prefers the Latin writing of his name to be spelled ElBaradei rather than hyphenated (El-Baradei or al-Baradei)
