Egypt parliament approves authorizing president to send troops to Saudi Arabia

The Egyptian House of Representatives voted—by a two-thirds majority—to authorize the Egyptian President to send troops to Saudi Arabia.

The House held a session, on Monday, to vote on a request by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi for authorization to deploy military forces to defend the kingdom.

This was the third session dedicated to discussing the matter, following two urgent sessions held last week that concluded without a final decision.

Several political parties and parliamentary blocs announced their positions regarding the President’s request to deploy military forces beyond the nation’s borders.

Parties express their support – and reservations

The Al-Adl (Justice) Party was among the first to express its support.

In an official statement issued following a meeting held last week, the party’s political bureau announced that it had authorized its parliamentary bloc to vote in favor of the President’s request to send the armed forces outside the country’s borders.

The Al-Wafd Party announced its approval of granting the mandate, while the Al-Nour Party, in an official statement, also affirmed its support.

The Al-Nour Party’s first deputy chairman, Galal Morra, said that Egyptian national security extends to its Arab surroundings.

In contrast, the Egyptian Social Democratic Party announced that it would abstain from voting, citing several considerations related to Egyptian national security, economic costs, and the potential risks of regional escalation.

Approving the request to authorize the President of the Republic to deploy military forces to defend Saudi Arabia required the consent of two-thirds of the members of the House of Representatives.

The vote was conducted by roll call, allowing the position of each individual representative on the request to be identified.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm

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