Egypt delays elections amid constitutional debate

02 March 2015

Egypt may be forced to delay parliamentary elections as Supreme Court calls them unconstitutional

  • Egypt court rules elections unconstitutional
  • New dates unclear
  • Parliamentary elections signal final step of political roadmap

Egypt’s Supreme Court rules that part of the country’s election law is unconstitutional with parliamentary elections set to be delayed as a result.

The ruling faults the part of the law that defines electoral districts and claims the election would not sufficiently represent the nation.

Egypt’s main house was dissolved in 2012 and the government has been operating without a parliament since.

The long-awaited elections were expected to start on 21 March, but now new dates will be set as president Abdul Fattah al-Sisi calls on the new laws to be redrafted within a month, with candidates likely to have to register again.

The current system comprises 567 parliamentary seats with 420 allocated to individual candidates, 120 for partisan representatives and 27 assigned by the president.

The parliamentary elections serve as the final step in the political roadmap set by the military following the ousting of then president Mohamed Mursi.

It is unclear when the elections will be held, despite the government being desperate for stability ahead of an investor conference being held in Sharm el-Sheikh on 13 March.

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