Egyptian court suspends April parliamentary elections

PanARMENIAN.Net - An Egyptian administrative court has suspended general elections that were scheduled to begin next month, BBC News reported.

It said the electoral law needed to be reviewed by the Supreme Constitutional Court to determine whether it conformed to the constitution.

President Mohammed Mursi had said the polls would begin on April 22, taking place in four stages over two months. The elections have been boycotted by the main opposition, amid continuing street protests.

The National Salvation Front (NSF) has said the electoral law favors Mursi's Islamist allies - a claim denied by the president.

The NSF has also expressed concerns that the election will not be free and fair.

Egypt remains sharply divided between Islamists and their liberal and secular opponents.

More than 70 people have been killed in violence between security forces and protesters since February, following the second anniversary of the revolution that ousted President Hosni Mubarak.