The renewal of the state of emergency is part of the armed forces’ efforts to fight terrorism, Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said in an address to parliament on Saturday.
This comes a week after President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi ordered the extension of the state of emergency, which has been imposed since 2017, for an additional three months.
Madbouly explained that the move aims to support state institutions to complete development projects nationwide.
Parliament must be informed by the prime minister within one week of the date of declaring a state of emergency, and the decree must be supported by justifications for the extension, according to Article 131 of parliament’s bylaw.
In his address, Madbouly praised the efforts of security forces in fighting crime and trans-national terrorism, adding that due to such efforts, the country has achieved major steps in accomplishing the stability required for development.
The country has achieved the aspired balance between protection of freedoms and the demands of national security, to complete the armed forces’ efforts in combating terrorism, said Madbouly.
Parliament speaker Ali Abdel Aal has referred the government’s address to the parliament for review, and members are expected to vote on the state of emergency in its evening session.
The state of emergency was implemented in April 2017 following the two deadly attacks which occurred on the same day against two churches in Alexandria and Tanta which killed dozens.
