Egypt court bans top Mubarak partisans from running for office

Cairo (AFP) - An Egyptian court Tuesday banned senior members of the now-dissolved National Democratic Party of ousted president Hosni Mubarak from running in upcoming parliamentary elections, a judicial source said.

A court disbanded the NDP shortly after Mubarak was forced out in 2011 but former members were expected to try a political comeback in elections to be held before year end.

The Muslim Brotherhood, which dominated all elections after Mubarak's ouster, has been blacklisted and crushed by police following the military's overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in July.

Tuesday's order by the Cairo Court for Urgent Matters was a temporary injunction ahead of a final ruling, which may take months or even a year.

The court based its ruling on the decision to disband the party because of its role during the Mubarak era, saying that allowing its senior members to run would be a "warning bell" of a political comeback.

In the past, the constitutional court ruled that laws preventing former NDP members from running for elections were unconstitutional.

Tahany al-Gebali, a former constitutional court judge, told AFP "the ruling is not final, and it could be subject to an urgent appeal".

Last month, another court banned members of the Muslim Brotherhood from running.

Interim prime minister Ibrahim Mahlab was a senior member of the party under Mubarak.