Egypt’s top court on Thursday ruled illegal a law that would have barred a Mubarak-era premier from running for president, but judged a third of parliament seats invalid, stirring fresh uncertainty in the politically divided country. “The Supreme Constitutional Court has ruled that the political isolation law is unconstitutional,” the state MENA news agency said.
The court was examining the legality of the political isolation law which bars senior officials of the regime of ousted president Hosni Mubarak and top members of his now-dissolved National Democratic Party from standing for public office for 10 years. The law applies to those who served in the 10 years prior to Mubarak’s ouster on February 11, 2011 after an 18-day popular uprising.
The top court also ruled that a third of the seats in the Islamist-dominated parliament were invalid.
“The constitutional court ruled unconstitutional some articles of the parliamentary election law related to the direct vote system,” MENA reported, referring to the third of seats elected on a first-past-the-post system.
The ruling military decided on a complex electoral system in which voters cast ballots for party lists which made up two thirds of parliament and also for individual candidates for the remaining seats in the lower house.
The individual candidates were meant to be “independents” but members of political parties were subsequently allowed to run, giving the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party an advantage. That decision was challenged in court.
Mahmud al-Khodeiri, a senior lawmaker and former judge who won his seat with support from the Muslim Brotherhood, said by-elections were likely to be held for some of the seats.
“There will be a re-election for some of the seats,” he told AFP after the ruling, referring to seats won by candidates belonging to parties.
He said no one authority had the right to dissolve parliament at the moment but elections could take place “after there is a new president.”
Outside the court dozens gathered to demand the application of the law, amid heavy security. “That’s it, the revolution is over,” one protester shouted, as others chanted against the ruling military.
“I reject Shafiq and Mursi, and if the court lets Shafiq stand or if there is a referendum on Mursi, we will go back to Tahrir,” the epicentre of protests that toppled Mubarak, said writer Samara Sultan, 30, before the hearing.
Egypt court says whole parliament illegal
Egypt’s top constitutional court on Thursday ruled the whole Islamist-dominated parliament illegitimate, paving the way for the military to resume legislative powers, state media and a military source said. “The constitutional court affirmed in the details of its verdict that the parliamentary elections were not constitutional, and the entire composition of parliament has been illegitimate since its election,” the official MENA news agency reported. Members of the ruling military council were in a meeting and did not immediately issue a statement. But a military source said the court decision gave the military legislative powers. “We don’t want it (the power) but according to the court decision and that law, it reverts back to us,” the source said.