Egyptian Opposition Threatens Election Boycott

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President Morsi’s announcement of a date for Egypt’s parliamentary elections has met with opposition. Mohamed ElBaradei claimed the elections would bring instability that could necessitate military intervention. He also characterized the new policy as a recycling of the Mubarak regime and stated that Egypt is not yet a democracy, saying, ”Torture is still there, abduction is still there, a lack of social justice is still there.” ElBaradei said his party will not participate in the elections. He expects other members of the National Salvation Front coalition to join the boycott.

In a contribution to The Arabist, Nathan Brown discusses questions of the constitutionality of Egypt’s new election law. Although the law was examined by the Supreme Constitutional Court, the Shura Council did not return the law to the Court after making recommended changes. Brown argues that this leaves an opening for future challenges to the constitutionality of the law but “we’ll have to wait and see” whether the law is constitutionally sound. He notes the drawing of electoral districts as a particular point of contention for potential challengers.