Mohamed ElBaradei, former presidential hopeful, said that he would take part in the 25 January demonstration to commemorate the first anniversary of the revolution. The protest is expected to press Egypt’s military rulers to accelerate the process of transferring power to civilian rule.
“I'll be on the front line if I find the demonstration secure,” he said, while meeting with representatives of several youth movements.
The meeting came hours after ElBaradei’s announcement that he would pull out for the presidential race. Participants of the meeting told Al-Masry Al-Youm that ElBaradei was deliberating how to gather the revolutionary youth into one unified political body.
ElBaradei said on Saturday that he would not run for president, saying a fair election is impossible given the military's grip on power nearly a year after Hosni Mubarak's ouster. Many fear that the ruling generals will push through a candidate of their own in order to preserve their power.
However, some commentators alleged that his decision was a tactical one to press Egypt’s ruling generals into making reforms.
“ElBaradei assured us that his decision is final and he will not take part in the farce of presidential elections that will lead to the reproduction of the former regime,” Mostafa Shawky, a member of the executive bureau of the Coalition of Revolutionary Youth, told Al-Masry Al-Youm.
Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
