ElBaradei sees vote rigging if he ran

CAIRO, June 10 (UPI) -- Egyptian diplomat Mohammed ElBaradei claimed the ruling National Democratic Party in Egypt would rig the vote if he decided to run in 2011 elections.

ElBaradei, the former chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, fueled rumors he was considering a bid for the Egyptian presidency when he returned to Cairo in February.

He has brushed off allegations he was positioning himself as a presidential contender, however, maintaining he was acting as an advocate for political reforms in Egypt.

Provisions of an emergency law in place since the 1981 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat place restrictions on some political activity in Egypt.

ElBaradei said if he were to run for president, NDP leaders would tamper with the polls, independent Egyptian newspaper al-Masry al-Youm reports.

"If I run in upcoming presidential elections, they will rig 35 percent of the votes for me and give the rest to the ruling party," he said.

The Egyptian leader said he would advocate social democracy in Egypt as part of a reform agenda.

Hosni Mubarak, president of Egypt since 1981, hasn't made his intentions known. It is believed he is grooming his son Gamal for the position.