Prominent Egyptian judge says sham elections will not legitimise the coup

The Egyptian former judge and constitutional expert Tariq Al-Bishri said that the ratification of the 2014 constitution via public referendum does not grant the coup authorities any legitimacy.

In statements to Al-Arabi Al-Gadid website, Al-Bishri said: “the referendum was held amidst illegitimate conditions, unlike the 2012 one.”

Al-Bishri criticized the role granted to the Armed Forces in the new constitution, saying that it “technically sets the army apart from other institutions of the state and grants the president more powers than the 2012 constitution.”

Furthermore, Al-Bishri dismissed the presidential elections currently underway as “a new phase of the July coup”.