Egypt’s Highest Court Declares a Third of Parliament Illegally Elected
In one of twin decisions, Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court allowed former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq to contest Saturday and Sunday’s presidential runoff against the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate, Mohammed Morsi. The court ruled that a law passed by parliament last month banning senior former regime figures from running for office was unconstitutional.
The second ruling centered on parliamentary elections that were held late last year. A lower court earlier said that the law organizing that vote was illegal because it allowed political parties to run candidates for the third of the parliament’s seats that were set aside for independents. The other two-thirds of the seats were contested by party lists.
The high court on Thursday agreed that the election for the third of the seats was illegal.
I see more bloodshed and civil unrest on the very near horizon. Too bad for those young Egyptians who sincerely engaged and sacrificed for real change.