Morsi to appeal against court to halt upcoming elections

Egypt’s Administrative Court rejected Morsi’s calls for an election Egypt’s President Mohammed Morsi has launched a lawsuit against the country’s Administrative Court for vetoing a recent government proposal outlining plans to hold parliamentary elections soon. Working on behalf of Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood government, the country’s State Litigation Authority has appealed to the Supreme Constitutional Court, demanding they overturn the decision.
The appeal stated that the Administrative Court exceeded its jurisdiction by deciding against holding parliamentary elections, which it said is actually a matter of sovereignty. The court in Cairo apparently rejected the president’s proposal on Wednesday because Egypt’s new constitution, signed after the fall of Mubarak’s regime in 2011, does not give leader explicit powers to call an election.
However, the State Litigation Authority argued that despite the absence of powers in the constitution, the government was right in using an already established law governing political rights, to call for a ballot.
The Supreme Constitutional Court is now scheduled to consider the appeal on March 24.
A number of politicians have come out in support of President Morsi’s appeal against the Administrative Court decision.
Abdul Ghaffar Shukr , the Deputy Chairman of the Socialist People's Party told Arabstoday: “It is a legal right for the presidency to lodge an appeal against a decision which prevents elections taking place, but if the government then decides not to go ahead with this appeal, it will lose all credibility.”
Meanwhile, Shawki Al-Sayed dismissed the appeal filed by former MP Mohammad al-Omeda as “unacceptable” and said it will be rejected because al- Omeda was not a part of the original proposal.
Wahid Abdel Majeed, a member of the National Salvation Front (NSF), said that news of the lawsuit is creating confusion among the Egyptian people and further harming the credibility of the government.
Majeed also added that other organisations involved in the case, like the Supreme Commission for Elections, are raising doubts over the integrity of any upcoming vote.