LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Morsi issued a decree over the past weekend withdrawing the decision of Supreme Council of the Armed Forces last month to dissolve parliament. The dissolution occurred after the Supreme Constitutional Court deemed that the legislature had been elected using an unconstitutional method.

Morsi says he has decided to restore the elected People's Assembly, voted into office over three months beginning in November. He says he will reconvene it in session to begin issuing legislation again.

The Muslim Brotherhood's political party won nearly half of the assembly and Morsi is still an active member.

The decree appears to be an attempt by Morsi to bring parliament back without directly contradicting the Supreme Court.

Morsi cancelled the subsequent move by the court, at the time the acting executive power, to implement the court's decision.

The Muslim Brotherhood has argued that the court's decision was wrong and the council had no legal right to dissolve parliament.

High-ranking Brotherhood members said they had not been personally consulted, and the council convened an "emergency meeting" to discuss it, and the court said it too would meet shortly to evaluate the decree.

Morsi's decree also called for new parliamentary elections to be held within 60 days of the adoption of a new constitution for the country, expected later this year.

In the meantime, a constitutional assembly selected by the parliament has been formed and has begun the work of drafting the constitution.

The Brotherhood's parliamentary victory alarmed many secularists, liberals and members of the Christian minority, who seemed to be generally pleased when the parliament was dissolved.

Egypt's top court handed down the controversial decision to dissolve parliament a day before the second round of the presidential election, which pitted Morsi against former regime official Ahmed Shafiq.

The court ruled that it was unconstitutional for political parties to have contested the one-third of parliamentary seats reserved for candidates running as individuals.

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