(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

BY HARUMENDHAH HELMY
ANCHOR NATHAN BYRNE
 

Mohamed ElBaradei, perhaps the most high-profile of the Egyptian presidential hopefuls, has dropped out of the race for the office. He says it’s in protest of how Egypt’s military is running the country. euronews reports.
 

“The Nobel Peace Prize winner and former head of the UN nuclear watchdog said the country was being pushed away from the aims of the revolution. ElBaradei has strongly criticised Egypt’s military rulers since Mubarak’s overthrow.”

 

In his statement, ElBaradei says the ruling military council is governing Egypt as if, quote, “no revolution took place and no regime has fallen.”

Egypt’s Ahram Online explains what the candidate’s dropout will mean for the elections.
 

“It is clear to many that ElBaradei’s withdrawal will change the elections scene completely. … [A campaign staff of another candidate] says ElBaradei’s withdrawal will create a gap, as he symbolised the liberal camp, opening the field for a new candidate to step in.”
 

But as The Los Angeles Times reports, though long considered a frontrunner, ElBaradei’s chances of winning the presidential election have been slimming lately, especially as the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood gains more and more popularity.
 

“ElBaradei was considered an outsider and did not have the stature of entrenched Islamist parties … ElBaradei’s brand of secular, Western-style democracy resonated with the youth and intellectuals in Tahrir Square but played less well in the rural regions and provinces dominated by the Islamists.”
 

And his harshest critics say — he never had the chance to win at all. As The New York Times reports, that might be the reason ElBaradei dropped out.
 

“Polls showed that many Egyptians harbored doubts about him. The years he spent in Western capitals as an international diplomat raised questions about his authenticity as an Egyptian, and he continued to travel extensively even after his return to Egypt.”

 

CNN reports the 69-year-old politician says he will continue to work with Egypt’s youth to achieve more freedom and social justice for the country.