CAIRO: Thursday saw Egypt's year and a half revolution stumble, with the Supreme Constitutional Court ruling that parliament was elected unconstitutionally, disbanded it, and at the same time gave another ruling that allows the former members of the old regime to return to political life. “It is a massive setback and one that we must fight against at all costs because it could be the future of our country is on the edge right now,” activist Bassem Munir told Bikyamasr.com. He, like hundreds of others, had taken to Tahrir Square after the court's rulings, which allowed ousted and jailed Hosni Mubarak's final Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq to remain in the presidential run-off this weekend. The court ruled that the “Azl”, or political isolation, law was unconstitutional much to the anger of hundreds of activists who had stationed themselves at the court early on Thursday chanting “void, void” in calling for the law, passed by parliament in April, to be implemented and a new presidential election be held. The ruling means former President Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq, can run in Saturday and Sunday's presidential run-off against Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Morsi. Acting as the country's executive power, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) amended the parliamentary elections law several times. At issue is the last amendment, which reversed an earlier stipulation that parties could not compete for single-winner seats in the elections that began last fall. Now with parliament uncertain and an election that has seen the former National Democratic Party (NDP) members come out from hiding to voice their open support for Shafiq, activists like Munir are frustrated, but the anger is not only with the protesters in Tahrir. “I spoke to a lot of people who had not liked us in Tahrir the past few months and they are now really supportive, because I think it will be the only chance we have to save Egypt and they know this,” Munir added. Many leading political figures in the country have called Thursday's moves a “military coup.” Former presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh said on Thursday evening the moves by the military junta were an obvious military coup. Leading opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei, who for months has called the entire election process without a constitution in place was a sham. On Thursday, after the court threw the future of Egypt into uncertainty, ElBaradei was quick to reiterate the point, while also warning against dictatorship, alluding to a potential Shafiq president. “Electing president without constitution or parliament means pres has powers unreached by most notorious dictatorships,” he said in response to the court verdict. And with an election to vote for the country's first post-revolution president, to give their oath of office to the military, on Saturday and Sunday, uncertainty seems to reign over Egypt at the present moment.
