The simmering tension between Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and the Muslim Brotherhood underlines last week's ruling by the country's high court that President Mohammed Mursi's decree reinstating parliament is invalid and that the legislature remains dissolved.

In the running battle of wits between the Brotherhood and the ruling generals, a court in July cited a technicality and disbanded the first parliament elected through free and fair elections in the country. It was the biggest blow to Egyptians’ hopes of democracy following six decades of military-dominated rule that was nothing but autocracy.

Following that court order, which came one day before presidential elections that saw Mursi emerging as successor to the ousted president, Hosni Mubarak, the military junta declared itself the sole legislative power in the country. After his victory Mursi has repeatedly tried to order the legislature back into session, but other than a brief meeting on July 10, they have remained barred.

Overall, the political scene in Egypt is chaotic at best.

The Muslim Brotherhood has been saying something and doing something else, critics say. Many see the group as determined to gain absolute power so they could reshape the country in its own way. The military stands in the Brotherhood’s way, outguessing the group and adopting advance measures aimed at denying it group – and all other political parties of the country – any real power. The military wants to preserve its “privileged” status that it has enjoyed since 1952 when military officers got together and overthrew a monarchy.

The ruling military council on Thursday welcomed the ruling by the Supreme Constitutional Court against Mursi’s decree. It said the ruling proved the importance of the constitution. The question is which constitution. The disbanded parliament was supposed to lead the process of drafting a new constitution, and the country does not really have a functioning constitution at the moment.

Effectively, the ruling generals are free to interpret the constitution the way they want and implement their wishes through the Mubarak-era judiciary they retained, including the Supreme Constitutional Court.

Political parties have no option but to accept whatever the military says it is in control of the security situation in the country.

Mursi does not even know what powers his office actually has. The military will define the presidential power as it finds fit.

The young Egyptians who led the successful revolt last year have found their democratic dreams disappear, mostly because they were unable to come on a collective post-revolt platform. For them, the only option today is to work hard and unite under one flag that could pose a serious challenge to the Brotherhood’s domination by the time the country holds the next elections. In the interim, the military and Brotherhood would be continuing their behind-the-scenes and on-stage battle for supremacy in the country.