- EGYPT
- March 12, 2013
- 3 minutes read
Sobhi Saleh: Parliament Will Send New Election Law for Constitutional Court Review Soon
The Shura Council (upper house of Egyptian parliament)’s Committee on Legislative and Constitutional Affairs, headed by Mohamed Tosson, Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) leader, affirmed that it is to draft new versions of the political rights law and the parliamentary elections law, and send them to the Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) after effecting a broad-based consensus among all political forces, rather than amend the old laws challenged earlier before the Administrative Court which cancelled the President’s decree calling legislative elections.
Ihab Al-Kharrat, member of Shura Council for the National Salvation Front, said he supported the idea of a new bill coming through a political consensus so there would be a general state of stability.
"The new law will remove the worry about how long the SCC might take to review the bill. The new law will also solve some of the problems in the current constituency districting and apportionment in certain provinces", Kharrat added.
Dr. Gamal Gibril, member of the Shura Council for Wassat Party, said that amending the old law was not acceptable: "It would be better to draft a new bill. But keep in mind public opinion, not only the SCC, especially with regard to redistricting provinces. We should not rush things, in order to avoid any shock decisions from the Administrative Court yet again".
Separately, Dr. Ramadan Batteikh, Professor of Constitutional Law, stressed that: "It is best that a new law is drawn up. The SCC will have to take into account consensus regarding military service and constituency redistricting after the Shura Council painstakingly applied SCC recommendations".
MP Sobhi Saleh, representing the FJP in the Committee on Legislative and Constitutional Affairs, further added: "It is likely the new laws will be completed this week, and sent to the SCC early next week for a final review".