As turmoil continues to sweep Egypt, opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei called Saturday for the army “to side with the people rather than the regime.”
The Nobel Prize laureate said that the Egyptian state is falling and blamed the situation on President Hosni Mubarak’s refusal to listen to the people.
“Leave today before tomorrow, this is better for Egypt and better for you,” said ElBaradei, directing his comments toward Mubarak in an interview with Al-Jazeera satellite television.
ElBaradei criticized Mubarak for waiting five days before addressing the people while the country was going through “an uprising that Egypt hasn’t witnessed in ages.”
He dismissed Mubarak’s speech as “void of any meaning” and cliché, contending that the president “did not get the message.”
While addressing the nation last night, Mubarak announced that he had sacked the cabinet and promised to embark on democratic reforms.
Earlier today, he appointed Intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman as vice president and Ahmed Shafick as prime minister. Yet, such appointments fell short of convincing protesters to leave the streets. Tens of thousands rallied Saturday, insisting they would not stop until the 82-year-old president leaves office.
“Going around the demands of the people will only lead to the deterioration of the situation,” said ElBaradei.
The former chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency congratulated youths on their uprising and asserted that “they will not go home before every Egyptian has the right for democracy”
In order to stem chaos, a national unity government that encompasses different political currents should be formed, he added.
This government will “pave the way for clean and democratic elections and take Egypt from 58 years of dictatorship to freedom and dignity,” ElBaradei said.
