Fears of a coup in Egypt

Chaos and confusion are mounting in Egypt tonight, where the country’s constitutional court has ruled that laws governing parliamentary elections are invalid. It follows that the Egyptian parliament must be dissolved, by the interim government led by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. And the constitution must be rewritten before the presidential run-off on Saturday. 

The court also ruled that Ahmed Shafik, a former prime minister under Hosni Mubarak, could stand in that run-off, overturning a law that barred members of the previous regime from election. Shafik welcomed the decision, which leaves him free to challenge Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood’s representative.

The message from the Brotherhood is one of defiance. A spokesman told CNN earlier today: 

‘We do not need a court ruling to ban Shafik. We will put all our efforts into the upcoming elections so that Morsi wins and we avoid the rebirth of the old regime overnight.