Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court HQ in Maadi (Photo: Ahram)
Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) ruled Saturday unconstitutional a law banning dual nationality citizens from running in parliamentary elections.
The ruling opens the door for further postponement of parliamentary elections after an administrative court ordered a halt to all preparations for the vote.
The administrative court's order followed the SCC ruling unconstitutional parts of a different parliamentary election law.
While the parliamentary vote was initially set to start 21 March, new poll dates are yet to be determined.
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.
In Saturday’s session, the SCC ruled the first section of Article 8 in the Parliamentary Elections Law unconstitutional.
The case was filed by lawyer Essam El-Islambouli.
Meanwhile, the court refused to hear another legal complaint challenging other parts of the same law.
Last week, the court looked into four cases challenging three election laws ruling that a part of the Elections Constituency Division Law is unconstitutional for violating the principle of fair, proportional representation of all voters.
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, who holds legislative powers until an elected parliament convenes, urged the cabinet soon after last week’s ruling to amend the law within a month.
On Tuesday, an administrative court made the elections postponement official, ordering a halt to all preparations for the vote.
The 2015 parliamentary polls constitute the third and the last step in a political roadmap set forth by the army after the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
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