Hazem Salah Abu Ismail defended the ruling military council in an interview with state owned Akhbar Al-Youm newspaper on Saturday, as scores of his backers continued a sit-in outside the Defense Ministry.
The Salafi leader and disqualified presidential hopeful said the military council has respected the constitution and the law.
He accused the Islamist-dominated parliament, however, of being responsible for all the troubles that have taken place since the military council transferred legislative power to the People’s Assembly.
The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces claimed legislative power after the removal of former President Hosni Mubarak in February 2011. Before the election of the Parliament early this year, it continued to hold both executive and legislative powers.
Abu Ismail said that SCAF has been careful to not interfere in the affairs of the legislative authority, but the Parliament has performed poorly in issuing laws and monitoring the government.
He added that MPs have tackled side issues and their own personal interests rather than political matters of interest to ordinary citizens.
Abu Ismail gave examples of the poor performance of the Parliament, saying that it should have issued a judiciary authority law banning pro-Mubarak judges from supervising the elections.
He added that the Parliament failed to issue a law to purge the Interior Ministry of corrupt leaders and it failed to draft legislation to pardon people convicted of politically motivated crimes because they were against the deposed president.
In the interview, Abu Ismail said he was considering establishing a movement for those who support himself and the revolution. He said 5,000 Copts already want to join the movement, which would be both an association and a political party driven by Islamic Sharia and seeking freedom and justice for all.
