Egypt’s Elbaradei quits race, saying military hold power
‘‘Many Egyptians in the broader public saw him [Elbaradei] as aloof or arrogant, or too ‘foreign’ because of his decades living abroad.
Cairo – Egyptian reform leader Mohamed Elbaradei has withdrawn from the presidential race, saying a fair election is impossible under the military’s grip nearly a year after former president Hosni Mubarak was ousted.
Nobel Peace laureate ElBaradei’s pullout is a slap to the military and the credibility of its plans for Egypt’s transition. He was seen as the most prorevolutionary of the candidates and the strongest advocate of significant change in a country long under autocratic rule. His participation had given a degree of legitimacy to the military-run election process.
But Elbaradei made clear that he saw no hope that the presidential election due by the end of June would bring a real end to the military’s rule.
He said the military has behaved as if Mubarak’s regime never fell.
‘‘I had said from the start that my conscience will not allow me to run for president or any official position unless there is a real democratic framework, that upholds the essence of democracy and not only its form,’’ he said.
The military council, headed by Mubarak’s defence minister of 20 years, ‘‘has insisted on going down the same old path, as if no revolution took place and no regime has fallen’’, he said.
Elbaradei’s decision could energise the anti-military protest movement, which has been in disarray and has failed to present a unified alternative path to a transition to democracy.
Some activists expressed hope that he was now stepping forward to become a forceful, crystallising leader for the movement.
In an apparent attempt to keep the move from helping fuel antimilitary protests on the January 25 anniversary of the start of the uprising that toppled Mubarak, the military council asked ElBaradei not to announce his decision until later, a person close to Elbaradei said.
Many of those who organised the protests fear that the Muslim Brotherhood, which is poised to dominate the new parliament, will cede the military’s continued influence over the executive in return for a freer hand in writing a new constitution.
‘‘To have total change, we must work from outside the system,’’ ElBaradei said in a video made public at the weekend.
He said he would work to unify youth groups, reclaim the goals of the revolution and address social justice, freedom and economic development.
Elbaradei, 69, has been a frustrating figure for some activists amid Egypt’s upheaval.
He had a significant role behind the scenes in putting together the network of youth activists that launched the 18-day uprising that ousted Mubarak. He has been sharply critical of the military’s handling of the transition since.
But he has resisted pressure to step forward as the leader of the movement, which some feel needs a figure to unify and guide it. His reluctance gave him a Hamlet-like reputation that frustrated some activists.
Many Egyptians in the broader public saw him as aloof or arrogant, or too ‘‘foreign’’ because of his decades living abroad.
Many activists and observers believe the military wants to ensure the race produces a president who will support its interests and allow it to have a strong voice in politics even after it formally steps aside.
The military has already tried to prevent or limit civilian oversight of its budget under the future system. After decades of military men serving as president in Egypt, the generals are unlikely to want a civilian president who might try to rein in their considerable influence over the state, economic interests or seek radical changes.
At least half a dozen other candidates have stepped forward, including ex-arab League chief Amr Moussa, a former foreign minister under Mubarak and a popular figure.
Another figure in the race who would likely be looked on favourably by the generals is Ahmed Shafiq, a former air force pilot who was a longtime friend of Mubarak and prime minister at the height of the anti-mubarak protests.
Also running is an Islamist, Abdel-moneim Aboul-fottouh, a longtime liberal within the Muslim Brotherhood who has gained support among the pro- revolution crowd. Aboul-fottouh was dismissed from the Brotherhood because he entered the presidential race after the group said it would not field a candidate.
The powerful Brotherhood continues to say it will not endorse a contender in the race. Its focus has instead been on increasing the powers of parliament, where it has emerged as the biggest faction from Egypt’s nearly complete, multistage elections.
A chief role of parliament will be to put together a panel to write a new constitution.
Issandr el-amrani, an analyst on Egypt and columnist, said ElBaradei’s withdrawal is ‘‘quite an indictment for the transition’’.
‘‘Elbaradei has never acted like a politician and has always acted like the moral conscience of the country,’’ he said.
Elbaradei has long been critical of the military’s handling of the transition.
The process has often been confused and nonsensical. For example, presidential candidates begin campaigning even before the constitution is written defining the president’s role.