CAIRO, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Mohamed ElBaradei, former director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, pulled out of the race for the Egyptian presidency Saturday.
ElBaradei cited "the previous regime" still running the country since Hosni Mubarak was deposed last year as the reason he decided not to run for president, al-Masry al-Youm reported.
The ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has adopted similar "repressive" policies as Mubarak, ElBaradei said, adding that the army was putting "revolutionaries on trial in military court instead of protecting them and punishing those who killed their friends."
"My conscience does not permit me to run for the presidency or any other official position unless it is within a democratic framework," he said in a statement.
The Nobel laureate said the SCAF has not created space for a fair election.
"Instead of uniting the nation through an organized political process ... [the council] has taken all decisions alone in a way that reflects confusion and exacerbated divisions in the society while we are in dire need of solidarity," ElBaradei said.
Although the SCAF has repeatedly promised to relinquish power after a president is elected, many Egyptian residents fear the military wants to maintain a political role in the country's future.
