Twists and turns in Egypt

Egypt's Islamist-dominated People's Assembly approved a law on 12 April which effectively bans members of the former regime, specifically the National Democratic Party, from participating in the upcoming May presidential election. The law was proposed and ratified in under a week and highlights the concern Islamist have with the candidature of Omar Suleiman, one time Mubarak era intelligence chief and vice president, who on 8 April declared his intention to stand for president. While the People's Assembly has passed the bill for it to become law the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), the current holders of executive power, still need to approve it. The SCAF are viewed as an ally of Suleiman; however, whether they will openly challenge Islamist parties over the issue is unlikely. If they were to do so, relations between the two would sour considerably and a return to instability in the interim would be likely. The SCAF will also be watching with interest the planned Islamist protests in Cairo on Friday. Should the protests have a major turnout the Islamist cause would be severely boosted. Should it attract small numbers the SCAF may be emboldened to openly challenge the Islamist's proposed law.