Egypt bans Muslim Brotherhood candidates from elections

CAIRO, April 16 (UPI) -- An Alexandria court ordered Egyptian authorities on Tuesday to restrict current and former members of the Muslim Brotherhood from running in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections.

The court's ruling came about after a petition was filed by a group of "private citizens" seeking the ban.

In December, the Egyptian government designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization and have sought to arrest and jail more than 15,000 members and supporters.

A lawyer for the plaintiffs, Tareq Mahmoud, welcomed the verdict: "It is illogical to receive such candidacies after the government designated the Brotherhood a terrorist organisation ... We submitted videos, photos and documents showing terrorist acts carried out by the Muslim Brotherhood, which is why it is illogical that they lead the country or represent its people in elections."

The Muslim Brotherhood, tolerated under deposed President Hosni Mubarak, rose to prominence during the Egyptian Revolution in 2011. Muslim Brotherhood member Mohamed Morsi was elected president in 2012 and removed from power by the military in July 2013. Since then, tensions have spiked between security forces and Muslim Brotherhood supporters.

[Middle East Online]