The High Administrative Court suspended the constituent assembly on April 10 after ruling in favor of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the assembly’s formation. The case has been referred to the Commissioner’s Office at State Council, which would then have the authority to move the lawsuit to Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC). The Freedom and Justice Party and the Nour Party both criticized the administrative court ruling suspending the constituent assembly. The FJP’s legal advisor, Ahmed Abu Baraka, criticized the decision as “political” and said the ruling was flawed by “obscene errors.” 

ELECTIONS: 

1) The first circuit Administrative Court decided to postpone until April 11 a lawsuit filed by MP Abul Ezz Hariri challenging the SCAF’s decision to pardon and restore Khairat al-Shater’s political rights. The legal challenge is aimed at disqualifying al-Shater from the presidential election. A second lawsuit challenging al-Shater’s eligibility has been postponed until April 24. The Muslim Brotherhood has nominated Mohamed Morsi as an “alternate” candidate in case al-Shater is legally barred from running. [al-Youm al-Saba’a, Arabic, 4/10/2012] [al-Masry al-Youm, Arabic, 4/10/2012] 

2) Support for Omar Suleiman is growing in the Upper Egyptian governorate of Qena, where he was born. The secretary general of the Nasserist Party in Kafr al-Sheikh has endorsed Suleiman’s candidacy. [al-Youm al-Saba’a, Arabic, 4/10/2012] 

3) The April 6 Youth Movement is calling for a tripartite “team” of revolutionary presidential candidates including Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh, Khaled Ali and Hamdeen Sabbahi to confront remnants of the Mubarak regime running in the election as well as supporters of Israel. “April 6 is currently coordinating with the three presidential hopefuls to convince them to form a coalition for contesting the election on one electoral platform,” said April 6 founder Ahmed Maher. [al-Masry al-Youm, English, 4/10/2012] 

4) The Revolutionary Youth Coalition (RYC) and other groups are urging parliament to pass a "Disenfranchisement Law," which would bar members of the former regime (including Omar Suleiman) from running for the presidency. The draft law was initially proposed by Wasat MP Essam Sultan in in an April 8 parliamentary session. [al-Ahram, English, 4/10/2012] 

NGO TRIAL: 

5) The Cairo Criminal Court convened the second session of the NGO trial on April 10 and decided to postpone the hearing until April 18. Of the 43 defendants, Robert Becker was the only non-Egyptian present at the session.  Arguments broke out in the courtroom after the prosecutors requested that the charges and penalty be modified to include “death by hanging for threatening the stability of the nation and damaging its interests.” [al-Youm  al-Saba’a, Arabic, 4/10/2012] [al-Masry al-Youm, Arabic, 4/10/2012] 

CONSTITUTION: 

6) The High Administrative Court suspended the constituent assembly on April 10 after ruling in favor of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the assembly’s formation. The case has been referred to the Commissioner’s Office at State Council, which would then have the authority to move the lawsuit to Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC). [al-Ahram, English, 4/10/2012] 

7) The Freedom and Justice Party and the Nour Party both criticized the administrative court ruling suspending the constituent assembly. The FJP’s legal advisor, Ahmed Abu Baraka, criticized the decision as “political” and said the ruling was flawed by “obscene errors.” [al-Masry al-Youm, Arabic, 4/10/2012] 

Photo Credit: al-Masry al-Youm

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