CAIRO: An Egyptian administrative court on Wednesday directed to cancel President Mohamed Morsi’s decree that had called parliamentary elections scheduled for April 22, saying the reason was that the Shura Council did not return the amended electoral law to the Supreme Constitutional Court for final review before passing it.
The court said it had referred the law covering the polls to the Supreme Court for review to determine whether it conformed to the constitution. But, it said, the Shura Council, Egypt’s upper house of parliament, did not return the amended electoral law to the court for final review before passing it.
Under Morsi’s decree, the lower house polls were due to be held under the amended electoral law over four stages.
The court ruling further snarls Egypt’s political crisis over the divisions between President Morsi and the mainly liberal and secular opposition.
The opposition had called a boycott of the elections, saying they should not be held amid anti-Morsi protests and unrest that have shaken the country for weeks. The multi-phase election was due to begin in late April and last for nearly two months.
