Mohamed ElBaradei named caretaker Egyptian PM

Image
Press Trust of India Cairo
Last Updated : Jul 06 2013 | 11:35 PM IST
Leading liberal opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei has been named as Egypt's new prime minister to head a caretaker government, his allies and the anti-Morsi Tamarod movement said today.
Mena state news agency says ElBaradei met interim President Adly Mahmud Mansour, three days after the army removed Islamist leader Mohammed Morsi amid growing nationwide unrest.
The move has in turn triggered mass unrest by supporters of Morsi.
71-year-old ElBaradei is a former head of the UN nuclear watchdog.
He and other party leaders attended a meeting called by Mansour today.
ElBaradei leads an alliance of liberal and left-wing parties, the National Salvation Front.
A spokesman for the front told AP news agency that Mansour would swear him in as prime minister this evening, the BBC reported.
In an interview on Thursday, ElBaradei defended the army's intervention, saying: "We were between a rock and a hard place."
"It is a painful measure, nobody wanted that," he said. "But Mr Morsi unfortunately undermined his own legitimacy by declaring himself a few months ago as a pharaoh and then we got into a fist fight, and not a democratic process."
More than 30 people died and hundreds were wounded in yesterday's protests by Islamist supporters of the deposed president.
Huge crowds have demonstrated again in Cairo today to demand his reinstatement.
Meanwhile opponents of Morsi have called for demonstrations against the Muslim Brotherhood, to which he belongs, tomorrow.
Morsi is in detention, along with some senior Brotherhood figures.
*Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%
*Complimentary New York Times access for the 2nd year will be given after 12 months

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Exclusive premium stories online

  • Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Jul 06 2013 | 11:35 PM IST

Next Story