Egyptian President Morsi vows to respect court's ruling on parliament

Cairo, July 12 (ANI): Egypt's newly elected President Mohamed Morsi has said that he 'will respect' the higher constitutional court's ruling that halted his decision to call the country's parliament back into session.

Morsi's statement came one day after the Supreme Constitutional Court ruled against his decree to call the house into session despite a June 14 ruling by the same tribunal that the legislature was invalid because a third of its members were elected illegally.

According to a report by the Egypt Independent, Morsi said in his statement that he called parliament to session 'so there wouldn't be a power vacuum in terms of legislation.'

Morsi's decree heightened tensions with the powerful military.

According to CBS News, the statement supporting the courts verdict, carried by Egypt's state media, appeared intended to reduce tensions, but it fell short of saying whether Morsi accepts the latest ruling.

"If the Supreme Constitutional Court's ruling issued yesterday prevents Parliament from performing its tasks, we will respect that because we are a law-based state," the statement said. (ANI)