Egypt's president orders dissolved parliament back to work

Egypt's new president decreed on Sunday that the dissolved Islamist-led parliament should reconvene until a new one was elected, apparently reversing a decision by generals who had dismissed the assembly based on a court ruling.   

"President Mohamed Mursi ordered the reconvening of sessions of the elected parliament," according to a presidential statement read out by Mursi's aide Yasser Ali. An early parliamentary election will be held within 60 days of a new constitution being approved by the nation, Ali said.   

Egypt's military council held an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss the presidential decree, the state news agency reported.

It said the meeting was headed by Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who leads the council that had governed Egypt after Hosni Mubarak's overthrow last year. The council had dissolved the Islamist-led parliament based on a court order this month.

The generals met to "study and discuss the repercussions of President Mohamed Mursi's decision to reconvene parliament," the news agency MENA reported.

The Supreme Constitutional Court ordered the lower house of parliament dissolved last month after finding fault with the election process. The generals, Egypt's interim rulers until they handed powers to Mursi on June 30, implemented the decision and gave themselves legislative powers.

REUTERS