| 06 Dec 2009 |
|
Baradei sets conditions for presidential candidacy
- Text size
CAIRO: Outgoing IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei has set a number of conditions for his mooted presidential candidacy, including international monitoring of elections as well as amendments to Egypt's constitution.
In a statement obtained by local newspapers, ElBaradei said that he would consider running for the 2011 presidential elections but there had to be guarantees regarding the electoral process itself.
These guarantees were international monitoring of the elections, complete judicial oversight and the presentation of a new constitution safeguarding liberties and human rights.
"If I decide to run for this esteemed position -- something I have never sought -- it will be because the majority of the Egyptian people will see it as serving the interests of the country," ElBaradei said in the statement.
He also called for the removal of all "constitutional and legal impediments that limit the majority of people from being candidates, so that there can be a fair and real chance for everybody away from party and personal considerations."
ElBaradei was alluding to Article 76 of the Egyptian constitution, which was amended in 2007 and governs the eligibility of presidential candidates.
The article stipulates that a candidate must have been on the governing council of his political party for at least one year prior to the election, and that the party must have been in existence for at least five years.
Additionally, any presidential hopeful must secure a total of 250 signatures from both legislative houses -- the People's Assembly and Shoura Council -- and local councils to become an official candidate. Members of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) however are the majority in both houses.
Under this article, ElBaradei is not eligible to run for the 2011 unless he joins one of Egypt's political parties that fit the requisite criteria, as well as being able to secure the necessary 250 signatures.
ElBaradei told CNN last November that he would consider running in 2011 if he had "written" guarantees that it would be a "free and fair election."
Head of the Arab Socialist Party Waheed Al-Aqsari told Daily News Egypt last month, "With all due respect to him we don't accept his candidacy because he is an academic and lived abroad for a long time so he is far removed from the pain and suffering of the Egyptian people."
Saad Aboud of the Karama party told Daily News Egypt at the time, "The 250 signatures required by Article 76 means an independent cannot run unless there is an agreement from the NDP, so there is a practical impossibility unless the constitution is changed. If the NDP do agree then he would merely be a candidate for décor and ElBaradei is bigger than this."
ElBaradei, the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize winner, ended his 12-year stint as the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Friday last week.
By Abdel-Rahman Hussein
© Daily News Egypt 2009
Zawya is a distributor (and not a publisher) of content supplied by third parties and subscribers. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers, or other information or content expressed or made available by those third parties, including information providers, subscribers or other users of the Service, are those of the respective author(s) or distributor(s) and not of the Company. The Company neither endorses nor is responsible for the accuracy or reliability of any opinion, advice or statement made on the Service by anyone other than authorized Service employee spokespersons while acting in their official capacities. The Company is not responsible for any infringement of intellectual property rights or breach of any applicable law or regulation, including regulation in relation to financial services or the distribution of financial products, defamation, data protection, telecommunications (including regulations relating to excessive use, spamming or other abusive activities) or obscene, offensive or illegal content). Under no circumstances will the Company be liable for any loss or damage caused by a member's reliance on information obtained through the Service. It is the responsibility of member to evaluate the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information, opinion, advice or other content available through the Service. Please seek the advice of professionals, as appropriate, regarding the evaluation of any specific information, opinion, advice or other content.
Read the full Member Agreement
http://www.zawya.com/legal/NewsLetter.cfm?name=disclaimer
Loading ...
Post a Comment
1.1 Contain any material which is libelous or defamatory of any person, is obscene, offensive, hateful or inflammatory or causes damage to the reputation of any person or organisation.
1.2 Promote sexually explicit material, violence, discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age or any illegal activity.
1.3 Be made in breach of any legal duty owed to a third party, such as a contractual duty or a duty of confidence.
1.4 Be threatening, abuse or invade another's privacy, or cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety.
1.5 Be used to impersonate any person, to misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any person, or be likely to deceive any person.
1.6 Give the impression that they represent Zawya.
1.7 Advocate, promote or assist any unlawful act such as (by way of example only) copyright infringement or computer misuse.