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Hosni Mubarak
Supreme Constitutional Court in Egypt, which dissolved the parliament last month, is due to discuss how to respond to President Mohammed Mursi’s order to reconvene it.
The speaker of the dissolved house has called for it to meet on Tuesday.
Military and judicial authorities have held emergency talks, but have not announced any action so far.
Mohammed Mursi, whose Muslim Brotherhood won most seats, said the chamber should reconvene until a new election is held.
Military police are keeping the area around the parliament building sealed.
Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court is due to discuss how to respond to President Mohammed Mursi's order to reconvene parliament dissolution
It is not clear when or how MPs are expected to reconvene.
MPs would first have to get past a line of police and military guards who have been preventing them from entering the parliament building – or they could meet elsewhere.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) – which has assumed legislative power – met in an emergency session shortly after the presidential decree was issued on Sunday.
It is due to hold another meeting.
The military had enforced a court order last month dissolving parliament because party members had contested seats reserved for independents.
The SCAF took over the reins of power last year, after the revolution that ended former President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule.
The army move was initially welcomed by many of the anti-government protesters, but its presence became increasingly unpopular as critics accused its leaders of wanting to hold on to power.
Mohammed Mursi won the country’s first free presidential election last month, and army chiefs formally handed over power on 30 June.
But before his inauguration, the military had granted itself sweeping powers.
The commanders’ constitutional declaration stripped the president of any authority over the military, gave military chiefs legislative powers, and the power to veto the new constitution, which has yet to be drafted.
In his presidential decree, Mohammed Mursi said new parliamentary elections would be held 60 days after the constitution had been agreed by referendum, the decree said.
The Muslim Brotherhood has consistently opposed the decision to dissolve parliament.
But analysts say it is unclear whether the president has the authority to reinstate the assembly.
If there was a political truce in Egypt, it could soon be over – unless this is part of a more complicated deal, under which parliament would meet briefly then be dissolved by the president.
Bloomberg: Egypt’s President Mohamed Mursi Reinstates Parliament
President Mohammed Mursi has ordered Egyptian parliament to reconvene, a month after it was dissolved.
The Supreme Court had ruled parliament unconstitutional as party members contested seats reserved for independents. The military, then running the country, enforced the move.
But Mohammed Mursi, whose Muslim Brotherhood won most seats, said the chamber should reconvene until a new election is held.
His decision will be seen as a direct challenge to the army, analysts say.
President Mohammed Mursi has ordered Egyptian parliament to reconvene, a month after it was dissolved
Mohammed Mursi was installed as the country’s first freely elected president last month.
The military had taken over the reins of power after the revolution that ended strongman Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule last year.
The army move was initially welcomed by many of the protesters, but became increasingly unpopular as critics accused its leaders of wanting to hold on to power.
Army chiefs formally handed power to Mohammed Mursi on 30 June, but before his election they granted themselves sweeping powers.
A constitutional declaration stripped the president of any authority over the military, gave military chiefs legislative powers, and ordered that the military would install a panel to frame new constitution.
However, in his presidential decree, Mohammed Mursi said the recalled parliament would frame a new constitution.
A new election would be held 60 days after the constitution had been agreed by referendum, the decree said.
On a speech on the day of his inauguration, Mohammed Mursi said parliament had been elected in a free and fair vote.
“The army is now returning to its original role, protecting the nation and its borders,” he said.
Yahoo! News: Egypt’s president orders dissolved parliament back to work
Egypt’s ruling military council has vowed to hand over power to an elected president by the end of June.
The promise comes as votes are counted after Sunday’s presidential run-off election, with both candidates claiming they are ahead in early results.
However, the council had earlier issued a declaration granting itself sweeping powers over legislation and the introduction of a new constitution.
Opposition groups condemned the declaration as a “coup”.
Lt Muhammad al-Assar from the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) told a news conference that a ceremony would be held in late June to hand over power to the new president, state media report.
However, the constitutional declaration issued by the SCAF late on Sunday effectively gives it legislative powers, control over the budget and over who writes the permanent constitution following mass street protests that toppled Hosni Mubarak in February 2011.
It also strips the president of any authority over the army.
The SCAF have even guaranteed themselves jobs for life.
There have been no big protests so far – the military must be hoping that Egyptians are simply too tired of politics to protest, and are willing to go for stability whatever the cost, our correspondent says.
But the army’s declaration was widely condemned in opposition circles.
Prominent political figure Mohamed El Baradei has described the document as a “grave setback for democracy and revolution”.
Former presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi, who came third in the first round of voting and was the favored candidate of many in the protest movement, said the declaration was a “seizure of the future of Egypt”.
“We will not accept domination by any party,” Hamdeen Sabahi said.
Parliament speaker Saad al-Katatni, of the Muslim Brotherhood, said the declaration was “null and void”.
The Brotherhood had earlier urged Egyptians to “protect their revolution” after the SCAF dissolved parliament – dominated by the Brotherhood – on Saturday.
Two days earlier, the Supreme Constitutional Court ruled that last year’s legislative polls were unconstitutional because party members were allowed to contest seats in the lower house reserved for independents.
On Monday morning, soldiers prevented MPs from entering parliament.
The Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammed Mursi ran in Sunday’s poll against Ahmed Shafiq, who served as prime minister under former President Hosni Mubarak.
The Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Mursi ran in Sunday's poll against Ahmed Shafiq, who served as prime minister under former President Hosni Mubarak
The Brotherhood said Mohammed Mursi was holding a 52%-48% lead over Ahmed Shafiq with almost all the vote counted after Sunday’s second-round run-off election.
Speaking at his party headquarters, Mohammed Mursi pledged to be a president for all Egyptians, adding that he would not “seek revenge or settle scores”.
Hundreds of Mohammed Mursi’s supporters gathered in Cairo’s Tahrir Square to celebrate his declaration of victory.
But Ahmed Shafiq’s campaign said it rejected “completely” Mohammed Mursi’s victory claim, and that figures it had obtained showed Shafiq in the lead.
Official results from the Higher Presidential Election Commission (HPEC) will be announced on Thursday, state TV reported.
Correspondents say that there was less enthusiasm in the run-off election than there was for previous rounds of voting, and some called for a boycott or spoiled ballots.
Ahmed Shafiq came second to Mohammed Mursi in last month’s first round, in which turnout among the 52 million eligible voters was only 46%.
Ahmed Shafiq
• Aged 70
• Veteran fighter pilot and former air force commander
• Appointed Egypt’s first aviation minister, earning reputation for competence and efficiency
• Promoted to PM during February 2011 protests
• Associated with former regime, though denies being backed by ruling military council
• Campaigned on a promise to restore security
Mohammed Mursi
• Aged 60
• US-educated engineering professor
• Head of Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP)
• Served as independent MP 2000-05
• Quietly spoken, viewed by some as lacking charisma
• Has promised “stability, security, justice and prosperity” under an Islamic banner
Egyptians are set to vote in the second round of their first free presidential election in a two-day run-off.
Mohammed Mursi, head of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, is up against Ahmed Shafiq, Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister.
The ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has promised to hand over power to the winner by 1 July at the latest.
But the build-up to the election has been marred by a Supreme Constitutional Court decision to dissolve parliament.
On Thursday, a panel of judges – appointed by Hosni Mubarak – ruled that the law governing Egypt’s first democratic elections in more than six decades was unconstitutional because party members were allowed to contest seats reserved for independents.
The Freedom and Justice Party won about 100 of its 235 seats in the People’s Assembly by running candidates for individual seats.
If parliament is dissolved swiftly by the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), whoever wins this weekend’s presidential run-off could take office without the oversight of a sitting parliament, and without a permanent constitution to define his powers or duties.
A 100-member assembly appointed by parliament earlier this week to draft the new constitution may also be dissolved.
Islamist, liberals and scholars denounced the ruling as a “coup”, saying they feared the ruling generals would take back legislative power.
“This series of measures shows that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, the head of the counter-revolution, is adamant to bring back the old regime and the presidential elections are merely a show,” six parties and movements said in a joint statement that also urged Mohammed Mursi to boycott the run-off.
The Supreme Constitutional Court also found a law blocking senior Mubarak-era officials from the presidency – which would have ruled out Ahmed Shafiq’s candidacy – was unconstitutional. The law was passed by parliament before the presidential election’s first round.
On Friday, the Muslim Brotherhood vowed to win the presidency despite the signs of opposition within the judiciary, which is overseeing the vote.
“Isolate the representative of the former regime through the ballot box,” said a statement referring to Ahmed Shafiq, who also served as head of the air force and minister of aviation under Hosni Mubarak.
The Brotherhood warned that the progress made since the president was forced to step down was being “wiped out and overturned”.
Egypt was facing a situation that was “even more dangerous than that in the final days of Mubarak’s rule,” the group added.
Mohammed Mursi meanwhile sought to reassure the military and its supporters within the electorate that he would work closely with the generals.
“As president, they will be in my heart and will get my attention… they will never do anything to harm the nation,” he said.
On Thursday, Mohammed Mursi warned there would be a “huge revolution against the criminals” if there was any evidence of electoral fraud.
His opponent meanwhile told a rally that the court rulings were “historic” and that the “era of political score-settling” had ended.
On Friday, Ahmed Shafiq promised to “address chaos and return stability”.
He came second in last month’s first round, in which turnout among the 52 million eligible voters was only 46%. Official results gave Mohammed Mursi 24.8% and Ahmed Shafiq 23.7%.
Polling stations are due to open on Saturday and Sunday at 08:00 and close at 19:00, but voting is likely to be extended on both days.
Final results from the Higher Presidential Election Commission (HPEC) are due by 21 June, but are expected to arrive much earlier.
Partial results from the first round were declared within 24 hours.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called for the SCAF to transfer power fully to a democratically elected civilian administration as soon as possible following the announcement of the final result of the election.
“There can be no going back on the democratic transition called for by the Egyptian people,” she told reporters in Washington.
Egyptians are voting for the second day in the country’s first free presidential elections – 15 months after Hosni Mubarak was ousted.
Queues are being reported at some polling stations.
The election pits Islamists against secularists, and revolutionaries against Mubarak-era ministers. In all, 13 candidates are running.
The military council which assumed presidential power in February 2011 has promised a fair vote and civilian rule.
On Wednesday, there were large queues in many places, and voting passed off calmly for the most part.
However, protesters in Cairo threw shoes and stones at a convoy of candidate Ahmed Shafiq, who was Hosni Mubarak’s last prime minister.
There were also reports that a group of female voters has been denied access to a polling station in the capital because they were wearing a full face veil.
The US hailed the election, with State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland describing it as a “very important milestone” in Egypt’s transition to democracy.
Fifty million people are eligible to vote, and preliminary results are expected over the weekend.
Egyptians are voting for the second day in the country's first free presidential elections
The frontrunners are:
• Ahmed Shafiq, a former commander of the air force and briefly prime minister during February 2011 protests
• Amr Moussa, who has served as foreign minister and head of the Arab League
• Mohammed Mursi, who heads Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party
• Abdul Moneim Aboul Fotouh, an independent Islamist candidate
Until a new constitution is approved it is unclear what powers the president will have, prompting fears of friction with a military which seems determined to retain its powerful position.
Voting across the country resumed at 08:00 local time. The authorities have declared Thursday a holiday, partly to allow public sector employees time to cast their ballots.
Some Egyptians may have been waiting for a second day of voting to avoid crowds.
On Wednesday, voting was extended by an hour to 21:00 to cater for queues at a number of polling stations.
NGOs and rights groups monitoring the election reported some complaints.
Egypt’s National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) said they received 50 complaints on electoral violations ranging from delay in opening voting booths, to campaigning for candidates outside polling stations during voting.
There was a heavy police and military presence outside the 13,000 polling sub-stations, and the atmosphere was mostly calm, with people waiting patiently for their turn to vote.
Mohammed Mursi was originally the Muslim Brotherhood’s reserve candidate, but he was thrust into the limelight after its first choice, Khairat al-Shater, was disqualified by the Higher Presidential Electoral Commission (HPEC) over an unresolved conviction.
He told reporters: “Today the world is witnessing the birth of a new Egypt. I am proud and cherish my membership of this people. I assure them that tomorrow will be better than today and better than yesterday.”
A run-off vote is scheduled for 16 and 17 June if there is no candidate manages to get more that 50% of the votes.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), worried about potential post-election unrest, has sought to reassure Egyptians that it will be the voters themselves who decide who will be the next president.
The 15 months since Hosni Mubarak was forced from power have been turbulent, with continued violent protests and a deteriorating economy.
Foreign direct investment has reversed from $6.4 billion flowing into the country in 2010 to $500 million leaving it last year.
Tourism, a major revenue generator for Egypt, has also dropped by a third.
The new president will have to reform the police to deal with the rash of crime that followed the uprising.
As many as a third of voters were reported to be undecided about which candidate to choose.
The Arab Spring began last year in Tunisia, inspiring pro-democracy activists across the Arab world.
Hosni Mubarak, who was in power for three decades, resigned on 11 February 2011 after 18 days of protests in Cairo and other cities.
He is on trial for his alleged role in the deaths of protesters. A verdict is expected in June.
Egyptians are starting to vote in their first free presidential election, 15 months after ousting Hosni Mubarak in the Arab Spring uprising.
Fifty million people are eligible to vote, and queues are forming at some polling stations.
The military council which assumed presidential power in February 2011 has promised a fair vote and civilian rule.
The election pits Islamists against secularists, and revolutionaries against Mubarak-era ministers.
The frontrunners are:
• Ahmed Shafiq, a former commander of the air force and briefly prime minister during February 2011 protests
• Amr Moussa, who has served as foreign minister and head of the Arab League
• Mohammed Mursi, who heads Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party
• Abdul Moneim Aboul Fotouh, an independent Islamist candidate.
Egyptians are starting to vote in their first free presidential election, 15 months after ousting Hosni Mubarak in the Arab Spring uprising
Until a new constitution is approved it is unclear what powers the president will have, prompting fears of friction with the military.
Voting began promptly at 08:00 local time, with queues observed at many Cairo polling stations growing longer by the minute.
“It’s a very big day,” said one woman. “This is a real great moment for the Egyptians to change.”
Another, when asked how long she had been waiting to vote, replied, with a laugh: “30 years.”
One man said it was most important for the new president to have his own programme.
“Actually he has to be in the revolution, or he has to be a strong part in the revolution. This is something which is not negotiable,” he said.
Mohammed Mursi was originally the Muslim Brotherhood’s reserve candidate, but he was thrust into the limelight after its first choice, Khairat al-Shater, was disqualified by the Higher Presidential Electoral Commission (HPEC) over an unresolved conviction.
The Brotherhood have nevertheless likened Mohammed Mursi, a US-educated engineer and MP, to an underrated football substitute.
“In any match there is the reserve who plays in the last 10 minutes, scores the goal and wins the match. Mursi is our reserve player,” said cleric Mohamed Abdel Maqsoud while addressing a crowd of Brotherhood supporters on Sunday.
A run-off vote is scheduled for 16 and 17 June if there is no outright winner.
There is also a potential clash waiting to happen with the military, which seems determined to retain its position as the power behind the president’s chair.
And the electorate does not know what powers the new president will have to do his job, as they are still waiting for them to be spelled out in a new constitution.
The election is being hailed as a landmark for Egyptians, who have the opportunity to choose their leader for the first time in the country’s 5,000-year recorded history.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), worried about potential post-election unrest, has sought to reassure Egyptians that it will be the voters themselves who decide who will be the next president.
“It is important that we all accept the election results, which will reflect the free choice of the Egyptian people, bearing in mind that Egypt’s democratic process is taking its first step and we all must contribute to its success,” it said in a statement on Monday.
The 15 months since Hosni Mubarak was forced from power has been turbulent, with continued violent protests and a deteriorating economy.
Foreign direct investment has reversed from $6.4 billion flowing into the country in 2010 to $500 million leaving it last year.
Tourism, a major revenue generator for the country, has also dropped by a third.
The new president will also have to reform the police to deal with the rash of crime that followed the uprising.
As many as a third of voters are reported to be undecided about which candidate to choose.
The Arab Spring began in Tunisia last year when weeks of protests forced President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali from power, inspiring pro-democracy activists across the Arab world.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, in power for three decades, resigned on 11 February 2011 after 18 days of protests in Cairo and other cities.
Hosni Mubarak is on trial for his alleged role in the deaths of protesters, and a verdict in the case is due on 2 June.
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Ten candidates from the Egyptian presidential poll, including former spy chief Omar Suleiman and the Muslim Brotherhood’s Khairat al-Shater, have been barred by election officials.
Ultra orthodox Salafi Sheikh Hazem Salah Abu Ismail has also been banned.
No reason was given by officials, who said the banned candidates had 48 hours to appeal. Thirteen candidates remain.
Elections are due to be held in May, more than a year after Hosni Mubarak was overthrown by popular protests.
The decision by Omar Suleiman to stand for the presidency sparked major protests in Cairo on Friday
Egypt is still governed by a military council, although parliamentary elections have taken place in the meantime. The Brotherhood-backed Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) became the largest party in parliament.
The decision by Omar Suleiman to stand for the presidency sparked major protests in Cairo on Friday.
The news that he and nine other candidates were being excluded was announced by Farouk Sultan, the head of the Supreme Presidential Election Commission. Officials said the 10 did not meet the conditions for candidacy, but no further explanation was given.
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Former Egyptian leader, Hosni Mubarak’s trial has been adjourned until next month, but judge says proceedings will no longer be televised.
Ahmed Rifaat, the Mubarak’s trial judge said the court would reconvene on September 5 to hear evidence, ruling that the trial, which was being broadcast live by many channels and on big screens outside the court, should not be televised until sentencing.
Ahmed Rifaat, the Mubarak’s trial judge said the broadcast ban is in protection of the general interest.
Judge Rifaat also ordered that Mubarak‘s trial should be merged with proceedings against his former interior minister, Habib el-Adly, whose trial had already been adjourned until September 5.
Hosni Mubarak, 83, who has mostly been confined to hospital since he was toppled by mass protests in February, was wheeled into the Cairo court on a stretcher as the trial resumed on Monday morning.
Mubarak appeared into the courtroom in a caged defendants’ box, dressed in a navy blue sports sweater, wearing an intravenous needle implanted in his left hand.
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His sons, Gamal and Alaa, who face corruption charges, came along with him.
Inside the courthouse, lawyers for the relatives of the killed protesters shouted and bickered before the judge arrived in the room, apparently over seats.
Hosni Mubarak is charged with conspiring in killing of protesters and abusing his power to amass wealth.
[googlead tip=”vertical_mediu” aliniat=”dreapta”] Meanwhile, Mubarak was waiting on the stretcher with hands clasped over his chest.
Mubarak, who is charged with conspiring in killing of protesters and abusing his power to amass wealth, answered, “present”, when the judge called his name.
Defence lawyers called for hundreds of witnesses to testify in the case, including the head of Egypt’s ruling military council, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, who was Mubarak’s defence minister for 20 years.
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Hussein Tantawi’s possible testimony on the former leader’s role in trying to suppress the 18 days uprising, in which about 850 people were killed, is considered critical by many to the outcome of the case.
“Tantawi’s testimony would help the court determine whether Mubarak gave orders to interior minister Habib al-Adly to fire at protesters or whether Adly was acting independently,” said one member of the defence team.
Lawyers for the families of those killed have demanded Tantawi testify in the trial too.
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5,000 riot police officers were deployed along with armoured cars outside the courthouse to keep apart the scores of pro- and anti-Mubarak protesters watching the proceedings of the trial on a giant screen.
Egypt’s interior ministry has reported that at least 34 people have been injured outside the police academy where anti and pro-Mubarak protesters clashed.
Mubarak made his first court appearance on August 3 and he is the first Arab state’s leader to stand trial in person since popular uprisings spread across the Middle-East. Mubarak faces charges that could carry the death penalty.
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