Egypt’s highest courts call for parliament dissolution

Egypt’s highest court on Thursday ruled that the Islamist-dominated parliament must be dissolved because one-third of its members were elected unlawfully, weakening the surprising political rise of the Muslim Brotherhood and jeopardizing the country’s transition to democratic rule. The court’s decision strengthened former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq’s chances against the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi. The ruling also dismissed the modest system of checks and balances, which Islamists and revolutionaries have sought to build in the 16 months since the expulsion of former president Hosni Mubarak.

A founding member of the liberal Justice Party, Nora Soliman, said, “We had people on the streets, but it was all usurped by the military. The military succeeded in playing on people’s fear of a state on the verge of collapse.” The ruling of the high court cannot be appealed. “There was outrage over the Islamic majority in parliament. There was a plan to destroy it,” said leading Muslim Brotherhood lawmaker Sobhi Saleh.