Parliament approves 3-month state of emergency nationwide

CAIRO – 4 November 2019: The parliament, in a plenary session, approved on Monday a presidential decree to declare the state of emergency nationwide for three months, starting Sunday October 27th.

A majority of 450 Parliamentarians approved the decree, three others rejected, while only one abstained.



The general committee of the parliament said in a report that the state of emergency was a necessary procedure in light of the circumstances Egypt witnesses currently at the interior and regional levels.

The report added that the declaration would also help the state uproot terrorism.

The committee also hailed the prime minister's remarks in which he promised that exceptional measures would only be used by the extent that ensures a balance between the protection of public freedom and the national security requirements.

For the tenth time in a row, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi issued a decree to extend the state of emergency in Egypt for 3 months, as per a statement published by the official gazette Al-Waqa'i' al-Misriyya.

A state of emergency in the Egyptian state was declared in April 2017 for 3 months following the two church bombings that claimed the lives of 47 people, and has been renewed since then.

“The Armed Forces and Tourism Police shall take all the necessary measures to combat the dangers of terrorism and its financing sources in order to maintain security throughout the country, protect the public and private properties and save the lives of citizens,” the decree says.

Furthermore, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli issued a decree to renew a dusk-to-dawn curfew for another three months on some areas of North Sinai, the official statement added.