Is there hope for a democratic Egypt? Sometimes the route to the solution does not always lie with elections, but with democratic institutions. If one were to consider the order of the appeals court which quashed one of the two life sentences handed to Mohamed Morsi, the first freely elected leader of Egypt, one might conclude that there is hope. The lower courts handling of cases against Morsi and his supporters, who were convicted after mass trials lasting just days, were criticized by Western governments, human rights groups and the UN. Morsi’s year in power proved to be decisive and he was overthrown by the military after mass street protests. His victory though, is proof that without a vibrant and independent judiciary, democracy will always be in peril. This is a lesson for many countries struggling with nation building and our own where a dispute between the judiciary and executive has crippled delivery of justice.
