Conservative Groups Object To Choice Of ElBaradei As Egypt’s PM

Elbaradei
Elbaradei

The continuing chaos in Egypt in the aftermath of last Wednesday’s military coup has been compounded further after the choice of liberal politician Mohamed ElBaradei as interim prime minister was thrown into doubt by objections from conservative groups.

ElBaradei’s nomination had been confirmed by several sources and state media on Saturday, but just before midnight a presidential spokesman told reporters that no prime minister had yet been chosen.

“After some satellite channels declared that the new government will be announced tonight and mentioned the new prime minister’s name (referring to Elbaradei), I’m here to confirm that this is still a prediction and that it is still under consultation and negotiations,” Ahmed el-Musilamani, spokesman for the interim president Adly Mansour said in a public statement.

The abrupt U-turn came amid opposition to ElBaradei’s appointment by the Nour Party, Egypt’s second-largest religious force that backed the military coup that toppled President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood.

The dispute has highlighted the challenges the military faces in finding consensus among liberals and conservatives on who should run the country.

The Al-Nour Party’s deputy leader Ahmed Khalil told the state news website that the party would withdraw from the political transition process if ElBaradei was confirmed in his post.

Authorities acknowledged that there had been strong opposition to the possible appointment of the liberal Egyptian politician, but said that he was the most possible choice.

“ElBaradei is the strongest candidate,” Muslimani said. “He is on top of the list of names” under discussion, he said.

Meanwhile, tension was still running high in the divided nation with opponents and supporters of Morsi remaining on the streets. Deadly clashes between them on Friday that continued until early on Saturday had claimed at least 30 lives and left more than 1,000 wounded.

1 COMMENT

  1. Now we see the light! It obvious Egypt is not meant to be ran by Egyptians. This is a man who lied against his arab brother (saddam hussein) to be wrongly hanged later.
    We now know, with him becoming Egypt PM, Egypt is finally doomed…