Egyptian Court Dissolves Parliament
Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court issued two momentous rulings Thursday that analysts in Washington and Cairo describe as amounting to a soft coup, writes Laura Rozen. The court effectively called for the dissolving of Egypt's recently-elected legislatures just days before the anticipated run-off elections.
Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court issued two momentous rulings Thursday that analysts in Washington and Cairo describe as amounting to a soft coup.
The court ruled that one-third of Egypt's parliamentary seats should be voided, thus effectively calling for the dissolving of Egypt's recently-elected legislature. It also ruled that former Mubarak-regime prime minister Ahmed Shafiq be allowed to stand in Egyptian presidential run-off elections, scheduled to be held June 16-17th.
"That's it for Egypt's so-called transition," Marc Lynch, a Middle East expert at George Washington University, wrote at Foreign Policy's Middle East channel blog:
"Today's moves by the Constitutional Court on behalf of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) seem difficult to overcome and likely to push Egypt onto a dangerous new path," Lynch wrote. "With Egypt looking ahead to no parliament, no constitution, and a deeply divisive new president, it's fair to say the experiment in military-led transition has come to its disappointing end."
