Delay of Egypt parliamentary poll saviour for president

An Egyptian court's decision to postpone the parliamentary elections was a "savior" for President Mohamed Morsi as the delay came "out of respect for judiciary" rather than the opposition's pressure, legal and political experts here said. The administrative court on Wednesday suspended a presidential decree to hold parliamentary elections on April 22. "It is an honorable way for the president and his main supporter, the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) group," as the decision would appear to respect the judiciary and give MP more time to rearrange strategy in the ongoing political turmoil, legal expert Atef Labib al-Nagmi told Xinhua. Al-Nagmi, also head of the Arab Defense Association, added that the president was relieved by the suspension, "as it is not a result of the pressure of the opposition to delay the elections." His viewpoint seems backed by Morsi's legal adviser Mohamed Fouad, who said later Wednesday that the president respected the court ruling and did not intend to appeal. The MB took the same stance with the president. Abdel-Moneim Abdel-Maqsoud, lawyer for the group, told Xinhua that "it is a judicial ruling that must be respected and applied and the MB is not to appeal." Al-Nagmi said that the ruling would serve the MB well, as "running elections in such a tense atmosphere is risky for them and for their popularity in the coming polls." Salah Salem Zarnuka, political science professor at Cairo University, also described the court's decision as the "lifeline to the nation's ship on the verge of sinking." "The court order is a chance for the ruling regime to reunite Egyptians and for political forces to catch their breath, reconsider the current situation and rearrange their lines," Zarnuka told Xinhua. Zarnuka said he could not imagine that the parliamentary elections would be held at a "completely unsuitable" time of political turmoil and street violence. The court's order undoubtedly appealed to the National Salvation Front (NSF), the main opposition bloc which has previously announced that it would boycott the elections and demanded their postponement. "I welcome this decision and I hope that it will be carried out, because it creates a chance for a new political situation," NSF leading member Amr Moussa to Xinhua. Enditem