Egyptian Parliament Defies Court, Convenes

Court insists its rulings are absolute
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 10, 2012 7:15 AM CDT
Updated Jul 10, 2012 7:49 AM CDT
Egyptian Parliament Defies Court, Convenes
Egyptian Parliament Speaker Saad el-Katani presides over a brief session of Parliament, the first since the country's high court ruled the chamber unconstitutional, in Cairo, Egypt, July 10, 2012.   (AP Photo)

Egypt's parliament answered President Mohamed Morsi's call and convened a brief session today, ignoring the Supreme Constitutional Court ruling that dissolved the entire legislature. Security forces didn't attempt to stop the gathering, but the court did issue a statement yesterday insisting that its decisions "are final and not subject to appeals," the New York Times reports. Morsi said he was not ignoring the court, but was delaying carrying out its decision until new parliamentary elections could be held.

In its statement, the court asserted that it "is not a party to any political conflict." But observers say it's allied with the military in a tug-of-war with the Muslim Brotherhood—essentially between Egypt's elected and unelected power centers. There was one sign of that tension easing yesterday, however, as Morsi attended a military college graduation, sitting side-by-side with military council chief Mohamed Hussein Tantawi. (More Mohamed Morsi stories.)

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