Egypt's administrative court on Tuesday ordered a halt to all preparations for parliamentary elections previously scheduled to start on 21 March.

The administrative court ordered the High Election Commission (HEC) to cease all its preliminary preparations for the elections in accordance with Sunday’s Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) decision that deemed parts of the electoral laws unconstitutional.

Following the SCC's decision, the HEC referred its rulings to the administrative court for a final legal review.

The administrative court had in February allowed petitioners against the constitutionality of three electoral laws to present their challenges to the SCC.

It delayed its final rulings on the complaints against the laws in question until the SCC weighed in on the matter.  

The SCC had heard four lawsuits which challenged the constitutionality of three laws: the Law of the Exercise of Political Rights, the Parliamentary Elections Law, and the Elections Constituency Division Law.

The court rejected three lawsuits but declared the elections Constituency Division Law unconstitutional. 

Following the SCC verdict on Sunday, Egypt's president Abdel Fattah El-Sisi issued a statement urging the cabinet to amend the law within a month.

Egypt has been without a parliament since the House of Representatives elected in late 2011 was dissolved in June 2012, following a court ruling that judged the law regulating its election to be unconstitutional.

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi holds legislative powers until an elected parliament convenes.

Once a parliament is elected, they will have to vote on all laws issued by El-Sisi and his predecessor, interim president Adly Mansour.