The Supreme Administrative Court has postponed until 17 March challenges to a Cairo Administrative Court ruling delaying House of Representatives elections.
The appeals against the ruling, which said that the Shura Council must send the amended election law to the Supreme Constitutional Court for review, were submitted by former MP Mohamed al-Omda and lawyer Hamed Sadeek.
The court postponed the case in order to review it and look over challenges submitted by the State Lawsuit Authority, representing the presidency, the Shura Council and the High Judicial Elections Commission.
The Shura Council had approved the SCC’s amendments on the law and then passed it, but controversy soon erupted over whether or not the court needed to review the newly-passed law again.
President Mohamed Morsy had earlier called for House of Representatives elections to be held over four stages from 22 April to 27 June, but the decision was effectively shut down after the Cairo Administrative Court ruling.
Omda said that the court ruling flew in the face of previous case precedents, referring to the SCC’s review of the presidential election law in 2005. At that time, the court recommended amendments to the law but did not stipulate that it would review the law again.
A similar case occurred in 2012, when the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces submitted an amended presidential election law to the SCC. Again, the court recommended amendments, which were made, but the law was then passed without a second review from the court.
