frandroid

BBC News - Mohamed ElBaradei could spark political upheaval in Egypt:

With presidential elections on Egypt's horizon, those opposed to the government run by President Hosni Mubarak since 1981 want change. They are pinning their hopes on the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Nobel Peace prize laureate Mohamed ElBaradei.

Nice.

But now the arrival on the Egyptian political scene of Mohamed ElBaradei has energised those calling for change.

Since arriving back in Egypt two months ago, the former head of the IAEA has unified the much-divided opposition under the banner of the National Coalition for Change.

Mr ElBaradei is untainted by the corruption within Cairo's ruling elite but, as yet, it is far from clear whether he will be permitted, under the constitution, to contest the presidential elections next year.

But that has not stopped him listing the country's ailments, from poverty, to widespread illiteracy, to the dangerous social tension between Muslims and Christians.

Good stuff, Mo!

There have already been attempts to discredit Mr ElBaradei in the press.

At the Coptic Easter Service he was seated next to the US ambassador to Egypt, Margaret Scobey, and by the time they had both realised the implications, and swiftly changed seats, the photos were already on their way to the front pages of the pro-government papers.

"American stooge," headlined one, gleefully.

Ohhhh, the fucking irony. American stooge? That's what you call an opposition figure? How about the president? What is he, if not...?