CAIRO: With controversy surrounding Thursday's court ruling in Egypt that appears to have dissolved parliament and paved the way for the return of former regime officials, the United States Senate is looking to suspend aid to the country's military junta. Senator Patrick J. Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont, said in a statement that he warned the State Department against issuing any of the $1.3 billion in military aid until the ruling military junta in Egypt commits to the democratic transition following 2011′s uprising that ousted the former government. “I would not want to see the U.S. government write checks for contracts with Egypt's military under present uncertain circumstances,” Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) said in a statement. Leahy, who heads the appropriations subcommittee in charge of foreign assistance, wrote restrictions on military aid to Egypt that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton waived in March on national security grounds. On Saturday, Egypt began voting in the presidential run-off, but activists were not excited about the future prospects for the country. Activists say the two candidates, Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsi, and ousted and jailed President Hosni Mubarak's last Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, offer little hope to a revolution that has seen change stifled by the military power that took control of the country on February 11, 2011. “What are we supposed to do, just wait and hope that the situation gets better?” asked Mona Radwan, an activist who said she plans to void her ballot as part of a campaign to not acknowledge either candidate as viable for the future of Egypt. “It is the right thing to do. We cannot be part of this sham that is looking like a military coup,” she told Bikyamasr.com. Others agree, with calls for a boycott gaining steam in the past 48 hours since the Supreme Constitutional Court dissolved parliament and allowed Shafiq to continue in the race, ruling that the “Azl” law, or political isolation, which bars former regime politicians from participating in politics, to be unconstitutional. For many, Thursday marked the end of the revolution process. Many activists wrote on social networking sites, “Goodbye revolution,” showing their disdain for the military, who had only promised to remain in power for 6 months before elections would take place. Now, a year and a half on, two elections into the transitional process, and a court ruling has ostensibly nullified all the gains of the uprising, allowing former Mubarak officials to return to the political arena. The court's rulings on Thursday came as a shock to the country. While many had expected the court to allow Shafiq, Mubarak's Prime Minister during the 18 days of protests in January and February 2011, the dissolving of parliament was unexpected. And shocking to many who had participated in the democratic process in November and December to elect the new parliament, which had been in power less than 6 months. “I thought we were on the right path, but I guess we need more time and more effort to put pressure on the powers,” said one man in Tahrir, adding that he felt “bad for speaking out against the protesters in recent months. “For me, I was upset because I thought the country was heading in the right direction, but now I see they were right and they knew pressure was needed,” the man added. 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,” activist Munir added to Bikyamasr.com. 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.
