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VIENNA – Reform leader Mohamed ElBaradei hailed the end of "the culture offear" Thursday as Egyptians voted for their first democraticallyelected president but said that who wins is less important thanestablishing national unity — a goal he believes can beachieved only after the poor are fed, have jobs and roofs overtheir heads, . ElBaradei also told The Associated Press that he does not intend torun for Egyptian public office again after quitting the race forthe presidency last year. Becoming president has "never been my priority," he said in aninterview. "My priority is to make sure that we put the country onthe right track. I think I am much more effective working outsidethe system." Now in its second day, the presidential vote in Egypt is being castas defining the nation's future political course, depending on whosucceeds longtime authoritarian ruler Hosni Mubarak. There are 13candidates in the race that is expected to go to a runoff June16-17 between the two top finishers, with a winner to be announcedJune 21. The president's powers have not yet been defined. Reflecting thedivisions that ElBaradei said must be overcome, the militaryrulers, the Islamist-dominated parliament and various groups andpolitical parties of liberals and secularists have been locked in astruggle over how to write the constitution that will define theEgypt's political system, the role of religion and the place of themilitary in the future. On the sidelines of a seminar in the Austrian capital on the ArabSpring revolutions, ElBaradei welcomed the elections as a potentsymbol of democracy after six decades of authoritarian rule in hiscountry. "The fact that we have an election today of which we do not knowthe outcome is the first ever in the Arab world I can recall," hesaid. "The fact is that this Arab spring has taken place and thereis no going back ... the culture of fear is no longer. " But, he added, "we have a long way to go." ElBaradei shared the Nobel Peace Prize with the InternationalAtomic Energy agency during his tenure as IAEA chief before the endof his last term three years ago and he used that position toappeal for dialogue between Iran and Western powers convinced thatTehran's peaceful public nuclear program was a cover for weaponsambitions. He struck the same tone Thursday, emphasizing the needfor Egyptians to listen to each other on their complicated path todemocracy. "I think the most crucial factor is to get Egyptians to understandthat they need to agree on the basic common values that they'regoing to live under for the future," he said, urging Egypt's futureleadership to focus on formulating a new constitution as the basicbuilding block of a new Egypt. "Without agreement on a constitution, the (democratic) processwould be difficult if not impossible," he said. "Having an electionwithout a constitution is .. like a marriage without a contract." Even before the months of turmoil that led to the ousting ofMubarak, ravaging key economic sectors like tourism, Egypt was apoor country. It ranked 112th out of 177 nations on the UnitedNations' Human Development Index last year, and ElBaradei said themore than 40 percent of Egyptians who earn less than $2 a day mustbe empowered before any democratic progress can be made. "We should focus on the priorities of satisfying the people's basicneeds, which is food on the table, health care, education andhousing," he said, dismissing presidential candidates' affiliationsas secondary. "The slogans of the left, right, or center, whether we are asecular state or a religious state, these are not the issues," hesaid. "I think economic and social development would let a lot ofthese esoteric discussions evaporate. "The army is still sitting in one camp, the revolutionary youth issitting in another, the Islamists, of course are sitting in yetanother, while the Average Joe wants to focus on stability,education and health care," he said. "So you need to get all these people together and tell them, youare going to live together under one roof. Get your act together,try to focus on the basic values that are not going to change, andget everyone to feel comfortable.". I am an expert from personalized-lapelpins.com, while we provides the quality product, such as Rare Collectible Coins Manufacturer , China Personalized Lapel Pins, Personalized Lapel Pins,and more.
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