Egypt to protect parliament from dissolution

Experts in Egyptian law denied a proposal by the ministerial council which stipulates that parliament is immune to dissolution describing it as “completely unconstitutional”, Almesryoon.com reported yesterday.

They said that it is better that the election law be modified to keep up with the constitution in order not to allow the Constitutional Court to dissolve parliament. Adding that making it so that parliament could not be dissolved would protect the president from questioning.

Law Expert Mohamed Nour Farahat said that the draft law being prepared by the president is “completely unconstitutional”. He added that the judicial authority is already protected against criticism. “All state authorities became immunised,” he said. “Who immunises the nation?” he asked. “This is a communist state.”

Law expert and researcher in Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies Waheed Abdul-Majeed said: “The proposal to protect the parliament is a kind of recognition that the state failed to ratify laws organising the elections that keep up with the constitution.”

He added: “If the parliament was immunised, this would be a historical precedent as no legislator has ever candidly challenged the constitution and despised it.” He warned that such a move would be a “stigma” in Egypt’s history.

Professor of Constitutional Law Saleh Al-Dahabi said: “This proposal is unconstitutional and no one is able to withhold the right of the Constitutional Court in observing legal provisions.”

“The parliament is one of the main authorities in the state, therefore, it must be based on true laws,” he explained.