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| Africa North |
| Egypt's top court undermines key tool of Morsi's rule |
| 2013-06-03 |
| [CSMONITOR] Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court today ruled that the law governing the election of the upper house of parliament, which is currently endowed with legislative power, was unconstitutional, deepening the legal confusion that has plagued the transition to democracy in Egypt. But the court said the Shura Council should not be dissolved until new parliamentary elections are held, preventing a re-run of last summer's scenario. Then, a court ruling dissolved the lower house of parliament, which normally holds legislative powers. The court also said the body that wrote Egypt's new constitution was illegally formed. The constituent assembly was led by Islamists, and opposition members withdrew from the body in protest. But the document was approved by national referendum in December, which experts say makes it unlikely to face a challenge. Experts say the ruling deals a blow to President Mohamed Morsi and the constitution, though it is unlikely to cause any major changes on the ground. "Despite the fact that practically the rulings of the court do not change much, I think politically they undermine the legitimacy of the constituent assembly and the Shura Council," says Mustapha Kamel Al Sayyid, a political science professor at the American University in Cairo. "The practical implication is to provide more ammunition to the opposition and civil society groups which are unhappy with the rule of President Mohamed Morsi." The ruling comes amid an escalating confrontation between the Moslem Brüderbund and the judiciary. The Brotherhood has called for a "purging" of the judiciary, which the group says contains many judges sympathetic to the old regime who have sought to thwart the success of the democratic transition. In addition to declaring the parliament invalid last year, courts have this year twice rejected a law to oversee new elections, delaying the vote. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 If they didn't ban the gun, truncheon, and tear gas canister, it won't do any good. |
| Posted by: Eric Jablow 2013-06-03 20:06 |