Egypt 'back to square one'

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CAIRO, June 14 (UPI) -- A ruling in Egypt by the constitutional court Thursday on the legality of the Parliament means the country is back to "Square One," a legal scholar said.

The Egyptian constitutional court ruled Thursday that the Egyptian Parliament is void after finding 30 percent of the seats were illegitimate, reports Egyptian news service al-Ahram.

Egyptian legal analyst Hossam Eissa told the news service that the ruling means a panel tasked with drafting the new constitution is void and that the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces was in control of the country's legislative branch until new parliamentary elections are held.

"We are back to Square One," he said.

SCAF took control over Egypt after an uprising in early 2011 forced longtime President Hosni Mubarak to resign after nearly 30 years in office. Egyptians had expressed frustration with the SCAF's grip on power and al-Ahram reports skirmishes broke out in Cairo after court decisions were announced.

A separate ruling confirmed the candidacy of former Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq. This weekend, he faces off against Mohammed Morsi, a leader from the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, in a second round of voting for the first democratically elected president in Egyptian history.

The role of the president, however, is ill-defined without a formal constitution.

News service Egyptian Independent reports that decisions made by the Egyptian Parliament up to this point will remain valid.