Egyptian court rules to allow former ruling party members to contest polls

Egypt's Supreme Administrative Court on Monday issued a verdict to allow members of the disbanded National Democratic Party to run in the upcoming parliamentary elections. The ruling overturned the verdict issued by a provincial administrative court on Thursday, which said the former party members should be banned from contesting the elections. Supporters of the dissolved party cheered the decision at the court, and some of them waved pictures of their favored candidates. On Thursday, the Mansoura Administrative Court in northern Daqahliya governorate issued the ban verdict, which angered the former ruling party members. After the fall of President Hosni Mubarak in February amid anti- government protests, the Supreme Administrative Court ordered to dissolve the party in April. Some Egyptian activists and parties call for a ban on members of the former ruling party in the parliamentary elections. The Egyptian government has amended a treachery law, which will ban the former party members from participating in politics in five years. But the law has not been approved by the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. Egypt is set to begin the vote for the People's Assembly (the lower house of the parliament) on Nov. 28. Many members of the former ruling party are believed to have registered their candidacy applications through setting up new parties, joining other parties or being independents. Several youth groups launched a campaign in October to expose members of the former ruling party and prevent voters from supporting them. Analysts forecast the members of the former ruling party could still win a certain percentage of seats in the elections via its network and expertise.