Egyptian court suspends Constitutional council
Hundreds of protesters demonstrate outside the Egyptian parliament building against the current Constitution Drafting Committee on March 28, 2012 in Cairo. Liberal and leftist parties have pulled out of a panel drafting Egypt’s new constitution, they announced on March 27, accusing Islamists of monopolizing the process that will deliver the country’s post-revolution charter.
An Egyptian court on Tuesday suspended the 100-member constitutional council, which has been plagued by resignations and accusations that it was dominated by Islamists.
The court ruled “to halt the parliament speaker’s decision to form the constituent assembly,” Bloomberg wrote.
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According to the BBC, plaintiffs had filed lawsuits that "demanded Cairo's Administrative Court block the decision to form the panel as it did not reflect the diversity of Egyptian society."
"They said women, young people and minorities were under-represented."
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The Associated Press reported that Tuesday's ruling was in response to the decision to give members of parliament "half the seats on the panel," which experts said violated a declaration from last year. Another ten members were "like-minded individuals." Members of the Coptic church and dozens of liberals quit in protest over the Islamist slant of the panel.
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