Egypt court clears Mubarak aides for election

Cairo, June 15 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Egypt's Constitutional Court has rejected the "political isolation law" that barred former president Hosni Mubarak's associates from politics.

According to Nile TV, the law barred officials of the Mubarak regime from running for public office.

The court Thursday ruled against the law passed by the Islamist-led parliament that sought to bar Ahmed Shafiq -- Mubarak's last prime minister -- from the vote pitting him against the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate, Mohamed Morsi.

The law was approved in April in a bid to disqualify anyone who served in top government positions in the last decade of Mubarak's rule.

The court also ruled that one-third of the members of parliament was elected in violation of the constitution and declared their election null and void.

The parliament was elected under a system where two-thirds of MPs acquired their seats "on a party basis" and the remaining one-third were individual candidates.

The individual candidates were meant to be "independents" but members of political parties were subsequently allowed to run, giving the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party an advantage.

That system was challenged in court.

--IANS/RIA Novosti

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