Egypt opposition leader ElBaradei says state is collapsing

Wednesday 13-03-2013 12:26 PM
Egypt opposition leader ElBaradei says state is collapsing

Mohamed ElBaradei in an interview with Reuters - Reuters

By

In an aired interview on Tuesday, prominent opposition figure, Mohamed ElBaradei, said that the state is collapsing, adding that Egypt is now “at the bottom of the barrel.”

“We have reached a point where we can no longer be indirect or diplomatic, the state is collapsing.” ElBaradei explained that, while according to classic understandings, a state consists of an army and security and justice institutions, in Egypt only the army is still solid while the other two are trembling.

Describing them as “principles” and not “demands”, ElBaradei listed security, political participation, economic opportunity and human rights as the wise-governance package that could help drag Egypt out of its current crisis.

The Nobel Laureate who is a senior member of the country’s main opposition alliance, the National Salvation Front (NSF), described Egypt, on the CBC, as a “failed state” and “jungle” that is unable to provide for its citizens.

ElBaradei described President Mohamed Mursi’s discourse in his latest interview as “cliché” and ineffective, comparing it to Hosni Mubarak’s discourse.  

The Islamist president had appeared hours past midnight in a recorded interview where he repeated phrases such as “Egypt will not kneel down.”

“Egypt kneels down every day through the 34 percent who cannot read or write. It kneels down every day through the 45 percent who do not have health insurance. Egypt kneels down every day through the 50 percent who live under the poverty line. Let’s not lie to ourselves,” ElBaradei told Lamees al-Hadidi on Tuesday.

He described two laws that were proposed to the Shura Council, one restricting civil society bodies and another restricting demonstrations, as “disastrous”, adding that the council is not fit to carry on the duties of a legislature.

ElBaradei explained that while the West wishes to assist the Muslim Brotherhood so that it could be its window to political Islamism, it needs national consensus in Egypt in order to continue that support, otherwise an IMF loan or other aids would be unlikely to take place.

He insisted that the government is desperate for a national consensus façade that the opposition, including him, is unwilling to provide to it.  

The founder of the liberal Dostour Party does not regret not running for the presidential elections that brought the Brotherhood’s Mursi to power, he said, explaining that an election before a constitution is invalid.

He added that becoming president is not his goal but Egypt moving forward is.

ElBaradei described the regime as inadequate to run the country, explaining that its management is worse than that of deposed President Hosni Mubarak.

The NSF had announced that they would boycott the parliamentary election that was scheduled to begin in April but was delayed upon a court order that referred its law to the constitutional court to review its legality.

facebook comments