Court dissolves Egypt parliament
Critics condemn rulings as a ‘coup’
“From a democratic perspective, this is the worst possible outcome imaginable. This is an all-out power grab by the military.”
SHADI HAMID, RESEARCH DIRECTOR OF THE BROOKINGS DOHA CENTER
Cairo — A panel of judges appointed by Egypt’s ousted president, Hosni Mubarak, threw the nation’s troubled transition to democracy into grave doubt Thursday with rulings that dissolved the popularly elected parliament and allowed the toppled government’s last prime minister to run for president, escalating a struggle by remnants of the old elite to block Islamists from coming to power.
The rulings by Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court were quickly condemned as a “coup” by Islamists, liberals and scholars. The court’s action, coming two days before a presidential runoff, set up a showdown with the Islamists who controlled parliament. They said Thursday night that they refused to dissolve the legislature and vowed to win the presidency despite the signs of opposition within the government overseeing the vote.
Citing a misapplication of rules for independent candidates, the court sought to overturn the first democratically elected parliament in more than six decades and the most significant accomplishment of the Egyptian revolt. Many analysts and activists said Thursday that they feared the decision was a step toward re-establishing a military-backed autocracy, though it was not yet clear whether the military leadership was willing to risk a new outbreak of unrest by suppressing the country’s most powerful political forces.
“From a democratic perspective, this is the worst possible outcome imaginable,” said Shadi Hamid, research director of the Brookings Doha Center. “This is an all-out power grab by the military.”
The timing of the ruling seemed like a transparent attempt to undermine the Islamists just two days before Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood is set to compete in the presidential runoff against Ahmed Shafik, a former air force general and Mubarak’s last prime minister.
If the ruling is carried out, whoever wins the presidential race would take power without the check of a sitting parliament and would possibly exercise significant influence over the elections to form a new one. The new president will also take office without a permanent constitution to define his powers or duties.
Morsi, the Brotherhood’s candidate, charged that the rulings proved some were “plotting against the people,” determined to “tamper with the will of the people.” But Brotherhood officials said Thursday that they expected the parliament to meet as scheduled next week. They argued that under the Egyptian system, the high constitutional court does not have the authority to order the dissolution of parliament.
Shafik made no comments on the dissolution of parliament, but called the decision to validate his campaign “historic.”
“I promise to confront chaos and restore stability,” Shafik said.