An Egyptian court has ordered the dissolution of the country's municipal councils, which were elected under ousted President Hosni Mubarak and dominated by his supporters.

The Cairo administrative court issued the ruling Tuesday in response to complaints by citizens who accuse the councils of being corrupt.

Mr. Mubarak's now-dissolved National Democratic Party won more than 90 percent of the seats in the last local council elections in 2008, a vote that government critics said was rigged.

Disbanding the councils was one of the demands of the 18-day mass protest movement that forced Mr. Mubarak to resign in February after three decades of autocratic rule.

Tuesday's court ruling can still be appealed by the Egyptian military chiefs who took over from the ousted president.

The dismissal of council members will leave Egypt's municipalities under the control of unelected bureaucrats until new councils are elected.

No date for municipal elections has been set.

Egypt is due to hold parliamentary elections in September followed by a presidential vote as part of the military's pledge to hand power to a civilian government.