Egypt's parliament agreed on Sunday to a two-year extension of emergency law requested by the government.
Earlier, Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif has asked parliament to extend the state of emergency by two years, a measure he justified with a recent wave of bombings and religious clashes. The opposition Muslim Brotherhood has condemned the government request, claiming that emergency laws were ineffective and that its justification was tantamount to "government terror". "The sectarian incidents and terrorist operations Egypt has witnessed recently have led us to ask for the extension" as of June 1, Nazif told the People's Assembly.
According to AFP, Nazif asked for the state of emergency to be extended for "two years only or until a new anti-terrorist law is passed, which will require constitutional amendments."
The state of emergency has been first imposed in 1967.
"The state of emergency does not eliminate terrorism but it facilitates the work of the security forces in their attempt to protect our homeland," Nazif told lawmakers Sunday.
"President Mubarak wants stability for the Egyptian people and this will only be possible when total security is achieved in the country, which will require the extension of the state of emergency until anti-terrorist legislation is adopted," he added.
