El-Baradei Says Willing to Drop Presidential Bid for PM Post
Leading Egyptian political figure Mohammed el-Baradei said on Saturday he was prepared to forgo a presidential bid if asked by the country's military rulers to be interim prime minister, his office said.
El-Baradei, who met earlier with the head of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, said he was "ready to renounce the idea of being a candidate in the presidential election if officially asked to form a cabinet."
Protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square demanding that the army step down from power have repeatedly proposed ElBaradei -- a former UN nuclear watchdog chief -- to lead the transition to democratic rule.
ElBaradei said he was "willing to respond to the demands of the youth of the revolution and the political forces calling for a national salvation government that represents all the national forces."
His statement comes amid political upheaval, with anti-military rallies threatening to eclipse Monday's parliamentary elections, the first since Mubarak was ousted in February.
Political activists have called for another mass protest on Sunday to express their rejection of the military's decision to appoint Kamal al-Ganzouri -- who served as Mubarak's premier -- as the country's new prime minister.
Source: Agence France Presse
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