Egypt's top judicial body, the Supreme Judicial Council, agreed on Monday to oversee the forthcoming referendum on a new Constitution drafted by an Islamist-dominated parliamentary panel, ignoring a boycott called by the country's lower-ranked judges.
The State media reported that the Council agreed to depute its officials to monitor the December 15 referendum, thereby ensuring a judicial supervision over the voting. But the Council's decision puts it on a collision course with the influential but unofficial Judges Club, which represents almost all of the country's judges.
The Judges Club had declared on Sunday that none of its members would oversee the referendum as a sign of protest against a controversial presidential decree issued last month. It had also made it clear that the protest would continue until the decree was rescinded, thereby intensifying a row between President Mohammed Mursi and the judiciary over the issue.
The announcement by the Judges Club came shortly after Mursi supporters prevented the country's Supreme Constitutional Court from convening on Sunday to issue its ruling on the legality of the Parliament's Upper House and the Constituent Assembly that drafted a new Constitution.
Sunday's pro-Mursi rally in Cairo by members of the ruling Muslim Brotherhood was aimed at supporting the President in the wake of the nation-wide protests sparked by his recent decree and to ensure that the Supreme Constitutional Court does not rule against the legality of the Constituent Assembly, thereby blocking the new Constitution.
Following the developments, the Supreme Constitutional Court suspended work indefinitely to protest the "psychological and physical pressures" exerted on the judiciary by the President's supporters. It described Sunday as "the blackest day in the history of Egyptian judiciary."
Notably, the Constitutional Court was originally set to deliver its verdict on Sunday on an earlier Supreme Court ruling that called for dissolution of the Upper House of the Parliament. The Supreme Court had ruled part of the parliamentary election "unconstitutional" as political party nominees contested from seats reserved for independents.
Last week, the Constituent Assembly, an Islamist-dominated 100-member body entrusted with the task of drafting the country's new Constitution, had voted to adopt a new charter with Islamic law, or Sharia, as the basis of legislation. Nevertheless, liberal, left-wing and Christian members of the Assembly boycotted the vote, alleging that they were being bullied into subscribing the views of the panel's Islamist majority. Although Mursi has since ratified the new Constitution, it still needs to be approved in a referendum for it to come into force.
Mursi's last month constitutional decree stated that all decisions, laws and declarations passed by the President, until a new Constitution is in place by mid-February, "are final and not subject to appeal" by any authority, including the judiciary. It also stated that the Islamist-dominated Constituent Assembly as well as the Lower House of the Parliament cannot be dissolved by any authority, including the judiciary. The decree was strongly criticized by lower court and appeals court judges, who are currently on a strike to protest the measure.
Mursi had assured the judges last week that the scope of the decree would be limited to "sovereign matters" designed to protect state institutions, and stressed that he would shed the new powers once a Constitution was in place. But the judges rejected his explanations and said they intended to continue with their strike until the measure was withdrawn totally.
Egypt has been witnessing wide-spread Opposition protests and pro-government demonstrations ever since Mursi issued the decree. The measure's opponents accuse Mursi as well as the Muslim Brotherhood of betraying the Egyptian revolution by attempting to monopolize power after their recent election victory. They fear that Mursi's November 22 decree could endanger gains of the popular uprising.
Mursi, leader of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) — political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood - was sworn in as Egypt's first civilian and freely-elected President on June 30, following the popular revolt that forced autocratic President Hosni Mubarak to step down in February last year after handing over power to the country's military. Mubarak has since been convicted of complicity in the deaths of anti-government protesters and sentenced to life in prison.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Political News
June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.