Egypt court dissolves local councils

A Cairo court on Tuesday ordered the dissolution of local councils, whose representatives were elected under the regime of ousted president Hosni Mubarak, a judicial official told AFP. Judge Kamal Lamei of the Supreme Administrative Court "has ordered the dissolution of the local councils following several lawsuits accusing the councillors of belonging to (Mubarak's) National Democratic Party," which is now dissolved, the official said. The ruling, which came ahead of local elections due to take place in 2012, can still be appealed and it would now be up to the government on how to proceed, said the official. Pro-democracy activists who launched the spectacular uprising that ended Mubarak's 30-year grip on power have been pressing for the dissolution of the local councils which they say are deeply corrupt. At the last municipal elections in 2008, Mubarak's NDP took almost 92 percent of the vote on a tiny turnout, against a backdrop of social tensions caused by sky-rocketing prices and a shortage of subsidised bread. The vote was boycotted by the highly organised Muslim Brotherhood, which was banned under Mubarak and was planning to field candidates as "independents" to circumvent the ban. But the Islamist group dropped out at the last minute after a government crackdown saw hundreds of its members including would-be candidates detained. "The ruling National Democratic Party heavily dominates the local councils, and President Mubarak seems determined to keep it that way, whatever the cost to his government's legitimacy," Human Rights Watch said at the time. Local councils are responsible for implementing legislation and overseeing the daily functioning of government. The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces which took power when Mubarak stepped down in February, has vowed to pave the way for a free democratic society. It has scheduled parliamentary elections for September, followed by the drafting of a constitution and then presidential elections. The military council's timetable has sparked a heated debate between those who want to postpone parliamentary elections for fear that an autumn poll would benefit the well established Muslim Brotherhood, and those who want to see the army out of power as soon as possible. Some secular groups also fear that early polls would allow the Islamist group too much influence over drafting the constitution.