Constitution Party founder Mohamed ElBaradei is willing to form “a presidential council that will be responsible for ruling the country during the current period, as long as all civilian forces agree,” said Shokry Fouad of the party.
Several revolutionary forces and politicians have suggested forming a presidential council that would include Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate Mohamed Morsy and former candidates Hamdeen Sabbahi and Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh, to face former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq. Many activists see Shafiq’s success in the first round as a return of the ousted Mubarak regime.
The runoff election is slated for 16 and 17 June.
Fouad told Al-Masry Al-Youm that he discussed the proposal over the phone with ElBaradei, who is participating in a conference in Vienna. ElBaradei told Fouad he approves of the proposal in principle and it needs to be decided who would be part of the council.
Fouad said ElBaradei is expected to return Monday to begin a series of meetings with various political movements and revolutionary youth to agree on the steps needed to achieve a national consensus on how to solve the current crisis.
ElBaradei, a Nobel laureate and former director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, announced in January that he would not compete in the presidential election due to the lack of a democratic atmosphere.
Meanwhile, Morsy campaign spokesperson Yasser Ali said Morsy “received an invitation from Dr. Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh, a former Muslim Brotherhood member and a former presidential candidate, to discuss the current events.” He said Morsy “welcomes the meeting with all national figures and all political groups, headed by the presidential candidates who did not win in the first round of the election, including Abouel Fotouh and Hamdeen Sabbahi.”
He said the meeting would be held to discuss Egypt’s near future, especially after the “shocking” ruling in the Mubarak trial.
Former President Hosni Mubarak and his Interior Minister Habib al-Adly were given life sentences for failing to stop the killing of protesters during the 18-day uprising early last year, while six high-ranking Interior Ministry officials were acquitted of the same charges. All the defendants, including Mubarak’s sons, were acquitted of financial corruption charges.
Ali told Al-Masry Al-Youm that Morsy expects to meet Abouel Fotouh and a number of presidential candidates within hours to take a united stand with all national figures until Egypt passes these crises, and to develop a common vision concerning the recent developments. He said the presidential council will include all political forces, as well as technocrats from outside the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party.
Regarding calls for a revolutionary presidential council that would include Abouel Fotouh, ElBaradei and Sabbahi, Ali said: “All the demands will be considered.”
He said Morsy wishes to unite all Egyptians and revolutionary forces for the good of Egypt, but that the most important thing is the completion of the election as agreed upon in the 10 March 2011 referendum.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
