Morsi Says He Will Respect Court Ruling To Uphold Parliament Dissolution

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi said he will respect a court ruling that overturned his attempt to reinstate the lower house of Parliament, which had been dissolved by The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) last month prior to the Islamist leader's election victory.

If yesterday's constitutional court ruling prevents parliament from fulfilling its responsibilities, we will respect that because we are a state of the law, Morsi said in a statement Wednesday.

There will be consultations with (political) forces and institutions and the supreme council for legal authorities to pave a suitable way out of this.

Last week, Morsi ordered Parliament to convene, defying the Military Council's decision to dissolve the Islamist-dominated lower house, after the Supreme Court had ruled that the parliamentary elections were flawed and one-third of the house's seats were invalid. The Military Council said it would take over legislative powers from the lower house until new elections were held.

Morsi's order was hailed by his supporters, who viewed the Military Council's decision as downplayed coup and a subversion of democracy, but his opponents criticized the move as an overextension of his powers.

Morsi, representing the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party, is the first democratically elected leader in Egypt after ousted President Hosni Mubarak's three decades in power. Following a contentious election and an anxiety-laden run-off vote, Morsi was declared the winner on June 24 and assumed office June 30.