Egypt is poised to ban any gatherings in Cairo to mark the planned return on Friday of former UN nuclear watchdog chief and potential presidential candidate Mohamed ElBaradei, security sources said. The 2005 Nobel laureate, who is expected to fly home on Friday afternoon, has repeatedly called for democratic change in Egypt since stepping down as head of the International Atomic Energy Agency in November.
Security sources told AFP that measures would be taken to prevent any "illegal demonstrations" by his supporters at Cairo airport. Two members of opposition group the April 6 Movement, Ahmed Maher and Amr Ali, have already been arrested for organising a reception for ElBaradei and distributing leaflets encouraging people to attend, Egyptian media reported.
Since November, ElBaradei has in several newspaper interviews pointedly refused to rule out standing in next year's presidential election against veteran incumbent Hosni Mubarak, who has been in power for 29 years. But he has made his candidacy conditional on the unlikely prospect of wide-ranging institutional and political reforms to ensure a clean election. Electoral law also requires him to be a member of an authorised political party, a condition he does not currently fulfil.
Despite the difficulties facing his standing for Egypt's top job, the very possibility of his candidacy has triggered a vicious campaign against him in the official press. State-owned dailies have accused him of being out of touch with the nation's affairs after his long years working abroad.