Key Egypt institutions 'invalid'
June 2, 2013
Sunday's court ruling could undermine the legitimacy of Egypt's new constitution, which was passed in a December 2012 referendum amid mass protests by liberal and secular groups opposed to the ruling Muslim Brotherhood.
During the drafting of the constitution, many liberals and secularists boycotted the panel, accusing Islamists of dominating the process. The constitution won more than 60 percent approval amid low voter turnout. Opponents said the document does not give strong enough protections to human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The Supreme Constitutional Court also ruled on Sunday that the upper house of parliament, the Shura Council, had been elected illegally. But the council will only be dissolved once the new lower house of parliament is elected, according to the court ruling.
The council has been the de facto legislative power in Egypt since the top court dissolved the lower house of parliament in June 2012. Both the upper and lower houses were governed by the same electoral law, which the court says is flawed. The Muslim Brotherhood dominates both chambers.
Virtually all of Egypt's post-Mubarak institutions - the upper and lower houses of parliament as well as the constitutional panel - have now been ruled illegitimate by the judiciary.
slk/ipj (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)