A committee of Egyptian People's Assembly (PA) approved Wednesday a ruling by the Supreme Constitutional Court on the unconstitutionality of provisions in a new law on presidential elections, the official MENA news agency reported.

The PA's Constitutional and Legislative Affairs Committee approved the court's ruling that five provisions of the new law were unconstitutional and two were suspected of being unconstitutional.

The court abrogated the provision that banned presidential candidates from launching paid media campaigns, saying there was no need for such a provision as laws on this issue have already existed.

As for the provision that said any presidential candidate found guilty of receiving funds from foreign parties would face imprisonment and a fine, the court approved only the imprisonment penalty and the fine was deemed unconstitutional.

The other amendments are related to regulatory measures undertaken by the higher electoral commission.

The PA approved on June 16 a new law which regulates Egypt's first multi-candidate presidential elections, after Egyptian voters okayed an amendment to the constitution in a referendum on May 25 to allow more than one candidate to run in presidential elections.

The law sets rules to regulate campaigning, funding and monitoring of the presidential polls and establishes a Supreme Electoral Committee to supervise the whole process.

President Hosni Mubarak referred the law to the Supreme Constitutional Court for a final ruling on its constitutionality on June 19.

If ruled unconstitutional, the law shall be sent back to the PA to be amended in compliance with the court's ruling.

Source: Xinhua