The supporters of former interim vice president and founder of the Dustour Party Mohamed ElBaradei have not lost hope that he will reach power, even though he left Egypt after he resigned in August to protest how the Rabia al-Adawiya protest was broken up. 

“Authorize Elbaradei [to run] for President]” is a campaign begun by a group of his supporters aimed at collecting signatures to support a presidential run and filing them with the Egyptian Recorder of Deeds, the government office responsible for authorizing candidates.

The campaign aims to return ElBaradei’s name to the political scene, despite his disappearance after he resigned as interim vice president. Yet, it also raises questions about the popularity of the man and his ability to compete in the upcoming presidential elections.

Politicians and journalists have often said that ElBaradei has lost the popularity he once had, but Mahitab al-Gilani, the founder and general coordinator for the campaign, disagrees. “[ElBaradei] is still [popular] among those who think freely, have principles and can make decisions without being exploited. … Despite all attempts to distort [his image] and despite the regime using all the media outlets to broadcast poison into the people’s minds to try to discredit ElBaradei as a traitor and an agent, there are still people who have a vision and appreciate the thoughts of this man,” she told Al-Monitor.