CAIRO (AA) - Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi on Tuesday said his military-backed government had no intention to extend Egypt's current state of emergency beyond mid-November.
According to al-Beblawi's media advisor, Sherif Shawqi, the premier made the assertion in statements given to a private satellite channel.
"Al-Beblawi said in his statements that his government would not extend the state of emergency, which is due to expire in mid-November," Shawqi told reporters.
"The extension of the state of emergency requires a [popular] referendum once the three-month period expires," he added.
Egypt's military-backed authorities declared a one-month state of emergency on August 14 after security forces violently dispersed two sit-ins staged by supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi. Hundreds were killed in the violence.
The state of emergency allows security forces to arrest citizens without pressing any charges and carry out searches of homes and vehicles without prior judicial permission.
Interim President Adly Mansour later extended the state of emergency by an additional two months.
Egypt has been in the throes of political violence since the July 3 ouster of Morsi – the country's first democratically elected president – by the powerful military establishment.
In September, Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim survived an apparent attempt on his life by unidentified attackers. In the days that followed, authorities claimed to have defused several bombs in different parts of the country.
