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.’
But not every Egyptian appears to share Shafik and the Brotherhood’s enthusiasm for a vote. Al-Jazeera reports that boycotts are being planned to protest at the choice between an Islamist and an autocrat.
Meanwhile, there are serious fears among democracy activists that the army, backed by the courts, has just staged a quiet coup and will now fashion parliament in its own image. It has already been given powers of extra-judicial arrest. Those fears may yet be justified, and, certainly, the Egyptian army has a coup-habit. But it should be remembered that transition from Mubarak has been dogged by legal wrangles that have grown from a poorly drafted constitution. This might be the latest instance of that pattern.
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