CAIRO - Egypt’s Islamist-led parliament Wednesday pushed ahead with a law that could force into retirement many of the nation’s most senior judges, despite an uproar by the judiciary over fears the president’s allies want to control the courts.
The country’s judges union, which represents thousands of Egypt’s judges, warned it they would not recognize the law or even the discussions in parliament about it. The union They vowed to turn to international organizations, such as the United Nations and African Union, to investigate what it they said are violations against the judiciary. More than 6,000 judges from around the country gathered Wednesday in Cairo to decide on a strategy in their power struggle with President Mohammed Morsi.
President Mohammed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood party counters that many judges are holdovers from the Hosni Mubarak era who must be replaced. Morsi’s supporters engaged in violent street clashes Friday with opponents over calls to “cleanse the judiciary.”
In an escalation of the crisis, the legislative committee of the upper house of the parliament voted in favor of three draft laws on the judiciary proposed by Islamist groups. It opened the floor for further debate.
One drops the retirement age for judges from 70 to 60, which would affect nearly a quarter of Egypt’s 13,000 judges and prosecution officials.
Front Section, Pages 6 on 04/25/2013