The constitutional and legislative committee of Parliament on Tuesday approved a bill banning stalwarts of Mubarak's regime from running in the presidential elections, although Justice Minister Adel Abdel Hamid said it was unconstitutional. The bill, which was submitted by Wasat Party MP Essam Sultan, would bar former Vice President Omar Suleiman from running. “This requires a final court ruling,” the minister said, adding that the court may deem the bill unconstitutional because a court does not only apply the provisions of the constitution but rather its spirit. "Let the court do its job and then we see,” said Sultan in response. According to the bill, those who worked under Mubarak in the last five years of his rule in any leadership position in the presidency or the government, represented the dissolved National Democratic Party in the People's Assembly or the Shura Council, or were appointed by him in any position, would not be allowed to serve as president, vice president or prime minister for a period of ten years as of 11 February 2011, the day Mubarak stepped down. The text was then amended by the committee to include those who worked under Mubarak in a leadership position in the presidency or the National Democratic Party for ten years before his ouster. Certain MPs criticized the amendment that exempted ministers, for the original text of the bill applied to Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the president of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, as he was the minister of defense under Mubarak, Hassan Younis, the minister of electricity, and Fayza Abouelnaga, the minister of planning and international cooperation. Other MPs rejected adding any other conditions so as not to target Amr Moussa, who served as foreign minister under Mubarak. The left-wing Tagammu Party rejected the bill in a statement on Tuesday. “We wager the Egyptian people will not choose candidates belonging to Mubarak's authoritarian regime,” said party spokesman Nabil Zaki. Translated from Al-Masry Al-Youm
