Egypt's court says voting system unconstitutional

CAIRO - A report made by the commissioners of Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court said the voting system used to elect the current parliament earlier this year was unconstitutional.

The number of seats allocated to individuals and party lists violate the principle of equal opportunities, official MENA news agency said, citing the report.

The system contradicts with the terms of the constitutional declaration and other constitutional rulings, the report added.

According to the voting system of the parliament, two thirds of seats were contested by party lists while one third by both independents and party candidates.

The panel also concluded in another report that the draft political isolation law was unconstitutional. The law was passed by the parliament prior to the presidential vote and aims at preventing ex-officials of the era of former President Hosni Mubarak from joining politics.

The report on the voting system of the parliament cast doubt on the fate of the new parliament, which is dominated by Islamist parties such as the Freedom and Justice Party affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood, and the Salafist Nour Party.

The Supreme Constitutional Court will announce its position on the political isolation law on June 14.