Interestingly enough the number of security forces from police and army forces is double the number of protesters !! Already traffic is messed up in the area there.
The first case is the constitutionality of the disenfranchisement law.
I will not speak about speculations or leaks but you must know that Ahmed Shafik got a rally event today as well a TV interview at night. Also three members of the Presidential elections committee are members of the Supreme constitutional court.
Update :
- Shafiq continues in the race
- The court dissolves 1/3 of the parliament “Individual seats” which means the whole parliament will be disbanded because according to the constitutional declaration the Parliament should not be less than 350 members.
- The legislative powers are transferred from the parliament to SCAF which will form the constitutional assembly tomorrow
I am tired , shocked and angry . I am speechless and I do not feel like writing anything after after all what I shall write if my newly elected president is Shafik
On what basis was the one third of parliament disqualified? Was there poll rigging?
ReplyDeleteWill the next step be SCAF forcing its own constitional assembly so as to stall the emergence of popular governance and maintain military-judicial policies that will not withstand scrutiny? Historically, institutions that stood to have power stripped from themselves often attempted to reclaim power at all costs only to find that their desperation heralded a twilight of respect and significance.
ReplyDeleteThe may be reasserting power, however they risk so drastically overreaching that they discredit themselves and force a major public backlash against military oligarchs. Much of the mindset underpinning militaries in general is incompatiable with the precepts of democracy and thus the government needs to be kept as separate as possible from such institutions.
Characteristics of Military-Intelligence-Insider Connected Rule: Secrecy, Constant lies and promotion of paranoia, sole purpose of enrichment of an elite group, opposition to civil liberties, suppression of dissent through constant search for enemies and creation of false dilemmas, disempowerment.
Characteristics of properly functioning representative republic (at least theoretically): Popular and individual empowerment, policies meant to help the country as a whole, promotion of freedom/civil liberty, openness, full access to information about ongoing political events and plans.
"Maher Samy of the High Constitutional Court (HCC) announced Thursday that both the lower and upper houses of Egypt's parliament are null and void, following the court ruling that the election of one third of the individual parliamentary candidacy seats and the Political Disenfranchisement Law were both unconstitutional."
ReplyDeletehttp://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/44895/Egypt/Politics-/Parliament-dissolved,-Constituent-Assembly-threate.aspx
It is dissovled completly, not just 1/3.
Good lord these are exciting times in Egypt. Well, perhaps it's not as bad as you think. Maybe you now have another chance to get a decent candidate.
ReplyDeleteVishnu: on third of the seats were to be allocated to independent candidates. What happened was that Brotherhood and Salfists ran as so called independents with the full backing of their respective parties, and once elected rejoined said parties.
ReplyDeletebeeing speechless seems to be the appropriate reaction to the things that happened today. The facts speek for themselves:
ReplyDelete- SCAF has executive and legislative power
- judicative is controlled by the military
- army can arrest civilians by decret form the interior ministry
- shafiq runs for president
- police officers are acquitted of the charges of killing protesters
this is a political coup d'etat of the old regime.
Maybe an alliance of all revolutionary parties/factions should get together, draft a constitution a citizens' initiative, and, through mass demonstrations at Tahrir, demand that it be put to a referendum. A constitution that dispenses with political roles for the military, SCAF, SPEC, and the like. Replace them with a provisional presidential council until elections not manipulated and too tainted by political insiders can be held.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what Mubarak's facial expression was when he heard these news?
ReplyDeleteI can't blame you for being shocked and angry. It's much like when Bush was elected for a second term. Not that the first time was any better when he was selected by our supreme court.
ReplyDeleteSo it's back to the streets then?
I am not an Egyptian and feel bad for the former President who became nothing but a sacrificial lamb for his cronies.
ReplyDeleteIt is getting better and better! A worthy ending of an unworthy uprising. Egypt had a historical opportunity for democtcay and freedom. Instead Egyptians stormed our Embassy and discussed ban on bikini and booze.
ReplyDeleteUnemployment, corruption, poverty, lack of education - all that did not matter anymore.
Now one more little step and we will have a good ruler who will restore order and return to reasoning and rational politics.
Warm regards from your friendly neighbors ;-)
Dear Zeinobia, ask yourself why it happened. Remember, the Brothers first said they would not compete for all the seats in parliament - and then they did. They swore they would not present a candidate for the presidency - and then they did. They packed the constitutional assembly. Is that what all Egyptians wanted? The fact it that the fearless youngsters who brought downn Mubark got less than 2% at the vote for parliament; no fresh political figure appeared on the scene to lead the presidential elections (Sabahi almost did).
ReplyDelete@Demeur "It's much like when Bush was elected for a second term."
ReplyDeleteJesus H. Christ. You're such a moronic provincial bumpkin it's embarrassing to be your neighbor. Don't you have some garbage that needs collecting?