Egypt interim authorities agree to amend election law

Egypt's ruling military council agreed to amend election laws after representatives of the country's major parties threatened to boycott parliamentary polls, Arab media said. Egypt's current electoral system, which allowed individual candidates to run in parliamentary elections, was widely criticized for giving members of the former ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) a chance to return to power. SCAF "agreed to amend the new law to allow political parties to field candidates in the one-third of seats that had previously been reserved for independent candidates," the Ahram Online portal said. "The military rulers also agreed to lift the emergency law during elections and halt military trials for civilians, and consider banning senior members of the dissolved former ruling party of Hosni Mubarak from running for public posts," Al Arabiya reported. During Saturday's meeting, officials from the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) met with representatives of 17 political parties, including the Muslim Brotherhood and the Wafd Party. The reports come amid growing popular dissatisfaction with how the reforms are being conducted by the SCAF. Weekly gatherings in Cairo's central Tahrir Square by opposition parties have been regular since the overthrow of former President Hosni Mubarak and his government in February.