CAIRO: When Mohamed ElBaradei announced that he was entertaining the possibility of throwing his name in the hat for a run at the Egyptian presidency in 2011, initially opposition elements in the country supported such a move. Now, as state-run newspapers begin a smear campaign against the former International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief, opposition leaders are already distancing themselves from the man, including Ayman Nour, who wrote in Bikya Masr of being “thankful” ElBaradei was taking pressure away from his own campaign toward the presidential palace. Osama Saraya, Editor-in-chief of Al-Ahram, the top government-run newspaper, accused ElBaradei of “bearing a grudge towards his country†and said he represented foreign interests “opposed to the Egyptian reform experiment.†Other editorials have accused the former IAEA chief – whose 12 years in office ended last month – of being a “spy for America” and said that he has lived too long outside Egypt in order to be “considered an Egyptian.” All this comes less than a month after ElBaradei said he would be willing to take the plunge toward competing in the next presidential election in the country, “as long as the election was free and fair.” Mamdouh Kenawy, the President of the Free Constitutional Party, sent an official invitation to Elbaradei to join the party for his presidential campaign. ElBaradei would need to be the head of a political party in Egypt in order to be eligible to run for president due to Article 76 of the Constitution that requires any presidential candidate be a member of a supreme body of a political party. At the time, Kenawy explained that the invitation was sent by him and all the leaders of the Constitutional Party. Although ElBaradei has not said if, or with which party, he would run under, the campaign is on. Mofid Shehab, a government minister, was quoted as saying that ElBaradei would be “wrong†if he were to run for president because he had spent a long time abroad and lacked political and party experience. Kenawy said that ElBaradei would be able to garner much support from the mainstream population as “he is very popular and has the support from many different sides.” Last week, ElBaradei said that he would only consider his candidacy if Egypt could guarantee a free and open election. “I've been closely following calls for me to run in the next presidential elections. Though I deeply appreciate people's trust in my abilities, I'd like to make it clear that my final position will be determined upon a number of fundamental issues,” ElBaradei said. ”Elections must be under the full supervision of the judiciary and in the presence of international observers from the United Nations to ensure transparency.” Current President Hosni Mubarak and his political circle have yet to announce if the elderly leader, in power since 1981, plans to run for another term. Many analysts expect Mubarak's younger son, Gamal, to take over the mantle, but an official announcement has yet to come. Most Egyptian opposition leaders and activists blame the poor state of Egyptian society on Mubarak, who has overseen little development in the country. Nearly half of the country's 80 million people live on less than $2 per day and promises of political openness have yet to be fulfilled. ElBaradei says that if he were to enter the race, he hopes that independent candidates would also be given the opportunity to throw their names in the election. But, Mubarak's National Democratic Party (NDP) has fenced off these demands, arguing that the new provisions in the Constitution give ample opportunity for candidates to put their name forward. Either way, ElBaradei's statement late last week has left the intelligentsia battling the 67-year-old. His time spent abroad, heading international organizations, appear to be his biggest failing. “ElBaradei has spent the last 40 years outside Egypt. Such a long time may have made him ask for certain changes to constitutional amendments that were called for and approved by the people themselves,” an editorial in the daily Gomhorria newspaper read on Friday. But for many Egyptians, ElBaradei is the best candidate for the job. Just ask Omar Hassan, a local cafe worker in Cairo, who, while watching a state-run television report on the Nobel Peace laureate possibly candidacy, became perturbed. “They say he is not Egyptian because he has lived abroad? Mubarak has lived abroad for decades. Our president doesn't know the country he rules and there is corruption everything, so this is stupid because ElBaradei's experience means he would not fall victim to needing corruption to be in power,” Hassan said. BM
