CAIRO: An Administrative Judicial Court ordered the Lawyers’ Syndicate elections be held on May 23, the Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported, and rejected cases filed against the incumbent chairman running for another term.
The elections have been postponed three times since October 2008.
“We are grateful for this court order, this confirms that the elections are taking place on May 23, Mohamed Tosson, spokesperson of a committee monitoring the elections, told Daily News Egypt.
The court also rejected all cases filed against Lawyers’ Syndicate Chairman Sameh Ashour’s candidacy for another term in office.
“It was obvious that this is a losing case. The law states that each chairman can be elected for two terms, Ashour’s second term wasn’t completed which gives him the right to run again, said Tosson.
The day after the court’s decision, candidates had already begun intensifying their campaigns.
“Each candidate has his supporters, each is presenting his plans, programs and agenda to the voters, explained Tosson.
Despite the court ruling, lawyers say the date is not set in stone.
“Our main concern is that the ‘appeals experts’ would do something to impede the elections again and stop it from taking place on May 23, said lawyer Abdel Moneim Abdel Maqsoud, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.
He also expressed his concern that some candidates may resort to illegitimate “under the table methods to manipulate the results. “We hope that there won’t be any chaos on election day and that lawyers will set an example for all the other syndicates, said Abdel Maqsoud.
Mohsen Eid, lawyer and spokesperson for independent MP Talaat El-Sadat – who is running for chairman – said he hopes the elections “take place in a democratic atmosphere unlike the legislative chaos that happened before.
Last January, Cairo’s Administrative Court suspended the elections three days before it was scheduled to take place, due to a report issued by a judicial committee to scrutinize the registration of lawyers who will vote in the elections.
The report describes “violations and errors in the register such as mistakes concerning lawyers’ names and addresses, and the failure to remove the names of deceased lawyers.
