President heading for showdown with generals

Egypt’s highest court insisted yesterday that its ruling that led to the dissolution of the Islamist-­dominated parliament was final and binding, setting up a showdown with the country’s newly elected president.

The announcement on state TV came a day after Mohammed Morsi recalled the legislators, defying the military’s decision to dismiss parliament after the Supreme Constitutional Court ruled a third of its members had been elected illegally.

Both sides appeared together yesterday at a military graduation ceremony, though few words were exchanged as Mr Morsi sat between the head of the armed forces, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, and chief of staff Sami Anan.

The court made the decision in an emergency meeting as the speaker of the dissolved legislature, Saad el-Katatni, called for parliament’s lower chamber, the People’s Assembly, to convene today. The court’s ruling did not cover the upper chamber, known as the Shura Council, which is largely toothless.

Both Mr Morsi and Mr Katatni are members of the Muslim Brotherhood, a fundamentalist group that has long been at odds with the military. With other ­Islamists, it holds the majority of parliamentary seats.

The move to restore parliament appeared to be an effort to exert Mr Morsi’s authority as president, despite moves by the military before the election aimed at limiting his powers.

The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces took over governing the country after Hosni Mubarak was ousted last year and the ruling generals have come under criticism for being slow to hand over power to a civilian administration.