Egypt bans Mubarak party from running in elections

Cairo, May 6 (IANS) An Egyptian court Tuesday banned former members of the country's now-defunct ruling party of deposed president Hosni Mubarak from running in any coming elections.

Egypt is preparing to hold a fresh presidential election May 26 and 27, in which former military chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi would compete with his Leftist solo opponent Hamdeen Sabahi.

Sisi is widely expected to win as he is riding a wave of popularity since his army toppled Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last July.

The Cairo Court for Urgent Matters decided that members of Mubarak's National Democratic Party (NDP) would not be allowed to run for presidential and parliamentary elections, Xinhua reported.

The NDP was dissolved and its funds and property were confiscated in April, 2011, after a popular uprising that toppled long-time ruler Mubarak.