Ikhwanweb :: The Muslim Brotherhood Official English Website

Former members of the Egyptian Shura Council (SC, Upper House of Egyptian parliament), dissolved in the wake of the military coup, held a conference today (Saturday) in Cairo’s Rabaa Al-Adaweya conference hall, to express their views on the latest developments of the fluid situation in Egypt.

Political parties attending the conference were: Construction and Development, Watan, Freedom and Justice (FJP), and Wassat, as well as ex-members of the Salafi Nour Party.

Dr. Amir Bassam, an SC member, told Ikhwanweb: "This is the second press conference in which we address the crucial issues facing the Egyptian people in the aftermath of the coup against constitutional and electoral legitimacy and the mechanisms of democracy in Egypt.

"The press conference has issued the SC’s second statement in the context of their effort to confront the ongoing violation of popular will. The first statement was issued immediately after the coup, expressing complete rejection of the military coup."

Dr. Bassam further said, "We reaffirm that the military decree that dissolved the SC is null and void, because the SC has popular legitimacy through free and democratic elections and constitutional legitimacy through most credible popular referendum, and the Constitutional Court supported it. If the military coup, suspended the first and second points, there is no legal decision to counter the Constitutional Court ruling to support the SC.

"Through our meeting today, we confirm the SC’s legitimacy. We will be taking legal steps to talk to world parliaments, and will take legal and international action to prevent violations of the rule of law."

Dr. Bassam also said, "The military coup did not only dissolve the only legislative authority in the country, but vindictively brought criminal charges against lawmakers, as happened with me and Dr. Mohamed Gamal Heshmat, for alleged incitement to violence and road-obstruction. Moreover, coup forces broke into an SC member’s headquarters in Tanta. Vengeful violation of freedoms will not force us to drop our demands to restore parliamentary and constitutional legitimacy in Egypt."