Security guards at the Parliament building on Monday prevented the head of the People's Assembly Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee Mahmoud al-Khodairy and his deputy, Mohamed al-Omda, from entering the building, enforcing a court verdict that dissolved Parliament on Thursday.
The guards told the pair they were following instructions, according to state-run newspaper Al-Ahram.
The two MPs were planning to attend a committee meeting to discuss a ruling by the Supreme Constitutional Court which deemed an amendment to the Parliamentary Elections Law unconstitutional.
The court had said that the law failed to ensure equality between candidates by enabling candidates affiliated with political parties to run for the one-third of parliamentary seats reserved for independents.
People’s Assembly Speaker Saad al-Katatny rejected the ruling in a meeting with military Chief-of-Staff Sami Anan on Sunday.
“The military council should have maintained the free will of the people that produced Parliament,” Katatny said, noting that he had tasked the Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee to consult with constitutional law experts on how to deal with the dissolution while still respecting the judiciary.
The ruling has caused uncertainty over the fate of the Constituent Assembly elected by the Parliament last week to draft Egypt’s upcoming constitution.
