CAIRO, Egypt. - Egypt's Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the Islamist parliament elected six months ago be dissolved on account of being illegitimate. The court ruled that a third of the legislature elected through the 'first-past-the -post' format were illegal and unconstitutional. The decision was based on the recommendations made last week by the judicial body also known as the commissioners of the Supreme Court.
Farouk Soltan, head of the apex court, told Reuters, ""The ruling regarding parliament includes the dissolution of the lower house of parliament in its entirety because the law upon which the elections were held is contrary to rules of the constitution."
The national news agency, MENA, released a statement saying , "The constitutional court affirmed in the details of its verdict that the parliamentary elections were not constitutional, and the entire composition of parliament has been illegitimate since its election," according to BBC News.
In a separate decision the court also ruled that former Prime Minister to the Mubarak regime, Ahmed Shafiq, will be permitted to run for president in the upcoming rounds of election.
According to BBC News, protestors outside the court were not pleased with this decision, because they felt Shafiq was a "remnant of the old guard."
The court also ruled the Political Exclusion Law illegitimate. The purview of the law bans any senior official from the Muabrak administration from being in office.
The runoff elections are expected to take place later this weekend. With the end of the 60-year-Mubarak regime, Egypt is heading for a crucial transition, with all eyes from the international community anxiously waiting to see what will happen.
Sharif and the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Mursi are the forerunners in the election.
Ex-president Hosni Mubarak is still in the hospital due to deteriorating health conditions.
