Mohamed ElBaradei, former chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency and candidate for the Egyptian presidency, reiterated his call for the postponement of parliamentary elections, currently slated for September. On the sidelines of a conference held two days ago in Portugal, ElBaradei gave statements calling for the formulation of a democratic constitution before elections. He added “We should give ourselves more time before holding the elections. I prefer that a constitution be drafted before the elections.” ElBaradei said that Egyptians should work towards formulating a constitution similar to that of Germany, which he said guarantees basic rights such as the freedom of expression and religion. “The formulation of a constitution as such will be welcomed by everyone and calm fears that the state will move in the wrong direction.” Meanwhile, residents of Qena invited ElBaradei to visit their governorate to discuss his campaign platform. According to a statement released by the Campaign for the Support of ElBaradei's Nomination, 5000 leaflets and 200 CDs were distributed in Palace Square in Minya to respond to lies about ElBaradei. The campaign also distributed 4000 leaflets in Alexandria, again in response to accusations regarding ElBaradei's role in the invasion of Iraq and his position on Article 2 of the Constitution. Translated from the Arabic Edition
