Context
The Egyptian Supreme Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday that since one third of the Islamist dominated seats in the parliament were invalid; it therefore dismissed the whole body citing constitutional violations. The court also dismissed the law that prevented Mubarak era officials including former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq, from participating in the political process.
The move was widely interpreted as a major reversal of what has been achieved since Mubarak was ousted. Incensed political activists have termed the court ruling the death of revolution and final preparation before the military assumes power. However, the Muslim Brotherhood’s presidential candidate Mohammed Mursi commented that he respects the courts ruling.
The ruling came a day after the justice ministry had issued a decree permitting military police and intelligence personnel to arrest civilians suspected of crimes that are “harmful to the government”, destruction of property, “obstructing traffic”, and “resisting orders”. These preemptive provisions would allow the government to crack down on any new protests that are widely expected.
