Dostour Party chief Mohamed ElBaradei has called for early presidential elections should the government of President Mohamed Morsy prove unable to enact the critical changes the country needs.
ElBaradei, also a leading member of Egypt's main opposition coalition, the National Salvation Front (NSF), told al-Hayat satellite channel late Wednesday that the NSF supports "Rebel," a popular campaign recently launched by anti-regime activists that seeks to collect signatures in support of early presidential elections.
He denied accusations that opposition forces have been impeding the transition to democracy. "The revolution sought the establishment of a democratic system, and the situation on the ground has nothing to do with democracy."
The opposition leader pointed to a lack of trust between the opposition and the ruling party. "I am not going to take the initiative and request dialogue with the president because the disagreements between the opposition and Morsy come down to a lack of trust," he said. "Assure me there will be national participation and we will be the first to sit with Dr. Morsy."
Since he issued a controversial constitutional declaration last November, Morsy has repeatedly called on political forces to join him in dialogue in order to defuse anger at his policies.
On Wednesday, after he greeted seven soldiers kidnapped in Sinai last week, Morsy called on political leaders and on all Egyptians to engage in national dialogue.
ElBaradei predicted that the opposition would constitute the largest minority in the House of Representatives after elections expected in October. He also demanded that a new and impartial cabinet supervise the elections, specifically pointing out a need for change at the ministries of interior, justice, and youth, as well as in local governments. "We want a sound law that allows for judicial and international supervision of elections."
ElBaradei called on opposition factions to unite and form two groups, a centrist and a leftist political party. He revealed that negotiations are underway with the Wafd Party, the Free Egyptians Party, and the Constitutional Front Party.
The former IAEA chief also commented on the judicial crisis which flared up after Islamist parties at the Shura Council proposed a controversial bill on judicial authority that would essentially force thousands of judges older than 60 into retirement.
“I believe the Judiciary is now a target….removing a judge who is older than 60 years of age is ignorant. A judge should not be treated as a public servant,” he argued. He stressed that although the Judiciary has been “corrupted,” any reform should be done from within. “There is incompetence on the part of the regime regarding judicial matters. There is one bill proposed by the president’s office and another by the legislature.”
