Leaders from Egypt's political parties had varied reactions to Mohamed ElBaradei's announcement that he may run in the upcoming presidential elections, if he receives written guarantees that it will be a free election. ElBaradei is the outgoing director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Some parties have expressed their willingness to accept him as a member and allow him to run as the presidential candidate, while others have downplayed his announcement, suggesting he only intends to embarrass the Egyptian regime internationally. A leading figure from the leftist Tagammu Party, Hussein Abdel Razek said the media and some parties are presenting the names of potential presidential candidates; however, this is a waste of time and intends to deceive the Egyptian people. The real issue is not the candidates, but rather the political and constitutional situation, he added, noting that the current conditions are unchangeable, so there is no use in fielding any candidate. Expecting fraudulent polls and a continued restriction on presidential nominations, Abdel Razek commented, “If ElBaradei or other independents join the Tagammu, Wafd or other parties, would they become committed to the party's platform?” Tagammu's stance on the presidential elections is more important than the candidates, as it focuses on the constitutional and legal framework for the elections, said Abdel Razek. The cardinal issue is the introduction of constitutional amendments aimed at shifting to a democratic parliamentary republic, he added, clarifying that the issue of naming a candidate becomes a secondary matter for the party. Chairman of the Democratic Front Party, Osama el-Ghazali Harb suggested that ElBaradei's declaration is only meant to embarrass the ruling regime internationally. Given the current constitutional situation, which sets conditions for fielding independent and party candidates for the presidency, only three parties can nominate a candidate, Tagammu, Wafd and Nasserist. Harb welcomed ElBaradei's nomination for the top job, as it will expose the lack of democratic conditions in Egypt. Ahmed Hassan, secretary general of the Nasserist Party was more critical, suggesting that he had not seen ElBaradei take an interest in domestic affairs previously, and that the Nasserist Party does not approve a candidate “for free” without seeing his program and approach to resolving social issues and foreign relations. ElBaradei or other candidates are entitled to offer themselves as presidential candidates, but he would not be able to meet the conditions for candidacy stated in article 76 of the constitution, he stressed. “As far as I know, ElBaradei is not a member of any party and cannot meet the nomination criteria,” he added. The idea of ElBaradei's nomination is acceptable, as he is an internationally renowned figure, who any party should be pleased to include as a member, said Nagi el-Shahabi, chairman of el-Geel Party and a Member of Parliament. He would at least impart some seriousness to the elections, and ensure that the candidates fielded are not “puppets” as happened previously, he added. He also presents ideals that reflect his years of experience living in the West where he enjoyed democracy, el-Shahabi said, adding that his nomination requires new measures in the electoral process, different from the current conditions which make it impossible for him to challenge the National Democratic Party's candidate. The written guarantees already exist in the constitution, but they are not respected, said el-Shahabi. Meanwhile, Mamduh Qenawi, head of the Free Social Constitutional Party said he would welcome ElBaradei's membership in the party, as well as the contesting of elections under his name. If the conditions ElBaradei requires are met, there will be real guarantees that the polls will be fair due to international oversight of the parliamentary and presidential elections, said Qenawi. However, he underlined the fact that ElBaradei should be committed to the resolutions and platform set by the party's supreme body. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
