Administrative Judiciary Halts Lawyers’ Election… Worries Over Guardianship

Administrative judiciary Court passed a decision halting the Bar Association”s elections on Sunday October 26, 2008.
The court”s rulings decided that the Association would be managed by Cairo”s court of cassation and that elections should come to South Cairo Court knowledge.

Upon passing the decision, Gamal Tag El Din (member of the former Bar Association”s board and spokesperson of Shariah Committee) expressed his worries lest the government would decide to impose police guardianship and called for allowing for running for the Association”s election to be managed by lawyers- elected board.
“It seems to have preplanned scenarios to claim the existence of inter-lawyers clashes; however clashes came between the government and lawyers”, said Tag El Din.

He criticized the stance of the judicial committee assigned for supervising over the lawyers” elections because it allowed for holding an electoral rally in favor of the ruling NDP candidates despite pledging to ban any electoral conferences inside the Association.
Tag El Din criticized the government for establishing unsacred coalition with Sameh Ashour; former head of the syndicate.

He warned against the predetermined scenarios aiming at controlling over the Bar Association and imposing guardianship and said “such scenario will be nothing more than an abortive movie”. He asserted that Shariah Committee will pursue all peaceful and legal procedures to prevent such a scenario.

On the other hand, Khalid Ali (lawyer at Hisham Mubarak Law Center) lauded the decision and said “It is alright; since the judicial committee which is presumed to watch elections usurped incompatible powers”. He indicated that the key mission of the committee is to abort elections and described its performance as “extremely wicked”.

He did not rule out the government”s intention to impose guardianship; but promised that lawyers would be able to overcome such schemes.