CAIRO: “ElBaradei is a hypothetical candidate . I’m the real one, former head of the opposition Al-Ghad party Ayman Nour told reporters at his Zamalek home Saturday.
Commenting on the potential presidential candidacy of the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed ElBaradei, who arrived in Cairo Friday amid much fanfare, Nour described ElBaradei as “merely a state of protest that has helped people express their desire for change.
Nour is legally forbidden from participating officially in political life since he was convicted of the “dishonorable crime of fraud in charges many say were fabricated.
He severed three years of a five-year sentence which began months following Egypt’s first multi-candidate presidential elections, where he came second after the incumbent President Hosni Mubarak. He was suddenly released in February 2009 on health amnesty.
During the press conference, Nour implored ElBaradei to “transform himself from being a coach to a real player in the political boxing arena.
“Real heroism is fighting inside the arena and so [ElBaradei] must not settle for simply guiding the way, we need someone who can confront.
In late 2009, ElBaradei neither confirmed nor denied his intention to join the 2011 presidential race on condition that the elections are free and fair and that they will be overseen by the judiciary as well as international monitors.
He also called for constitutional changes since as it stands, Article 76 which sets the criteria for presidential candidates – namely the need for independent candidates to secure the endorsement of 250 elected officials in the Upper and Lower houses of parliament and local councils – are impossible to meet.
The other alternative was for ElBaradei to join an existing political party, which he has refused.
Nour added that he insists on being the official candidate representing Al-Ghad in 2011 but that he is prepared to step down if all the nationalist currents in Egypt unite in backing another candidate.
Responding to questions about the legal obstacles to his candidacy, Nour said that there are legal ways to annul the law that would hinder him from practicing his political rights, but said that he will not reveal his strategy.
Nour also accused security bodies of threatening him in a bid so he would refrain from holding nationwide public rallies to promote his platform.
He said a security source told him in a telephone conversation the “they will not be responsible if he was stabbed during one of his rallies, which Nour considered to be a death threat.
He finally called on President Mubarak to launch a national dialogue with the country’s opposition forces and to agree on the guarantees to holding free and fair legislative and presidential elections announce once and for all his stance regarding the possibility of his son Gamal succeeding him.
