CAIRO| Egypt’s highest court has ordered the country’s Islamist-dominated parliament dissolved, saying its election about six months ago was unconstitutional.
The Supreme Constitutional Court ruled Thursday that a third of the legislature was elected illegally. As a result, it says in its explanation of the ruling, “the makeup of the entire chamber is illegal and, consequently, it does not legally stand.”
Campaign posters supporting Egyptian presidential candidate Ahmed Shafiq, the last prime minister of deposed president Hosni Mubarak, hang above a popular market in Cairo, Egypt, Tuesday, June 12, 2012. Arabic on the banners reads: “Ahmed Shafiq for Egyptian presidency”, and “Egypt for all.”(AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
The explanation was carried by Egypt’s official news agency and confirmed to The Associated Press by one of the court’s judges, Maher Sami Youssef. The ruling means that new elections for the entire parliament will have to be held.