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Egypt election: Ahmed Shafiq allowed to run for president Supreme court rules Egypt's lower house be dissolved
(about 1 hour later)
Egypt's supreme court has ruled that former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq can continue to run for president in elections this weekend. Egypt's supreme court has ordered that parliament's lower house be dissolved following a ruling that last year's election was unconstitutional.
The court had been considering a law that would have barred him from standing for office on the grounds that he was a member of the former regime. It has ruled that a third of seats elected under the "first-past-the-post" system were "illegitimate".
In a separate ruling, the court has decided that the election of one third of MPs last year was unconstitutional. In a separate ruling, the court has decided that former Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq can continue to run for president in elections this weekend.
It is unclear whether those seats now need to be contested in a new election. The court rejected a law that would have barred him from standing.
Mr Shafiq is standing against the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Mursi. Mr Shafiq is standing against the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Mursi. The pair are in a tight run-off following a first round of elections in May.
The court had been asked to rule on a law passed by parliament banning senior officials from former President Hosni Mubarak's regime from standing for office. The court was considering the validity of last year's parliamentary election, because some of the seats were contested on a proportional list system, others on the first-past-the-post system.
It has decided that his candidacy is still valid. According to the official Mena news agency: "The constitutional court affirmed in the details of its verdict that the parliamentary elections were not constitutional, and the entire composition of parliament has been illegitimate since its election."
The court was also considering the validity of last year's parliamentary election, because some of the seats were contested on a proportional list system, others on a "first-past-the-post" system. The head of the supreme court Farouk Soltan told Reuters: "The ruling regarding parliament includes the dissolution of the lower house of parliament in its entirety because the law upon which the elections were held is contrary to rules of the constitution."
It has found that those elected on the "first-past-the-post" system were unconstitutional. Many of the seats ruled unconstitutional were won by the Muslim Brotherhood.
Many of those seats were won by the Muslim Brotherhood. The supreme court had also been asked to rule on a law passed by parliament - the Political Exclusion Law - which bans senior officials from former President Hosni Mubarak's regime from standing for office.
Deadlock? The court ruled that the law was unconstitutional, and therefore decided that Mr Shafiq's candidacy was still valid.
The BBC's Jon Leyne in Cairo says it is unclear what will happen next. This weekend's election will therefore go ahead as planned.
The elections will have to be re-run, he says, but it is not clear who has the authority to dissolve parliament and order a new vote.
At very least, he says, it will hamper the work of parliament, and possibly result in deadlock if parliament refuses to dissolve itself.
There was a large security operation outside the court as demonstrators gathered for the judgement.There was a large security operation outside the court as demonstrators gathered for the judgement.
A barbed-wire fence was constructed around the court grounds to keep protesters out. Rows of police in riot gear stood guard.A barbed-wire fence was constructed around the court grounds to keep protesters out. Rows of police in riot gear stood guard.
Many demonstrators shouted slogans and held posters demanding that Mr Shafiq be disqualified.Many demonstrators shouted slogans and held posters demanding that Mr Shafiq be disqualified.
One activist, Mohamed Abdel Quodous, said Mr Shafiq should be disqualified because he was considered a "remnant of the old guard" and was a "humiliation to Egypt and its revolution".One activist, Mohamed Abdel Quodous, said Mr Shafiq should be disqualified because he was considered a "remnant of the old guard" and was a "humiliation to Egypt and its revolution".