Egyptian presidency’s inconsistent decisions draw criticism

CAIRO— Although the Egyptian presidency had expressed respect for a court decision of suspending parliamentary elections, its legal team later submitted an appeal against the court order, which reflects the presidency’s political inconsistency and therefore undermines its credibility, analysts said. On March 6, the Supreme Administrative Court suspended a presidential decree of holding parliamentary elections on April 22, and referred 14 claims against the constitutionality of the newly- drafted election law to the Supreme Constitutional Court. Although the presidency expressed on the same day its respect for the court’s decision and denied any intention of appealing it, State Lawsuit Authority, which represents the presidency and other bodies, appealed the ruling on March 13. “I believe this is continuation of the presidency’s state of confusion and obvious reluctance over certain decisions, including the appeal against the Supreme Administrative Court’s suspension of (parliamentary) polls,” Sobhi Essaila, political analyst at Al- Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, told Xinhua. During a court session on Sunday, the State Lawsuit Authority said that it appealed the ruling on its own, without asking permission or opinion of those represented by the Authority, including the presidency. Essaila, however, believed it was just a “justification” not to embarrass the presidency. “Any wise institution would coordinate with its legal representative whether to appeal or not. So, the presidency has either given the green light to appeal, deceiving the public opinion; or been unaware of the appeal, which is a greater mistake, “ Essaila noted. Talaat Marzouk, head of the legal committee of the Salafist Al- Nour Party, admitted that to appeal was “a normal legal right” for the presidency. “We cannot deny the (administrative) authority its legal right to appeal, and the judiciary will have the final say, which should be respected by everyone,” said Marzouk. But if “the state of so much confusion” continues, the country will head in a quick pace into the abyss. “The presidency should realise how to manage things and be aware of its rights and duties, “ said Essaila. On Sunday, the Supreme Administrative Court decided to delay the reviewing of the appeal to March 24. Ahmed Sayed Ahmed, political analyst and deputy managing director of state-run Al-Ahram newspaper, told Xinhua the presidency’s decision to appeal the court order was “a shock” to political forces, as it contradicts the presidency’s earlier position on the issue. Xinhua