Egyptian members of parliament announced they did not believe it is necessary to put to a referendum the recent agreement with Saudi Arabia over the Sanafir and Tiran islands, state media Ahram Online reported. Following a meeting with President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, a number of the MPs referred to Article 151 in Egypt’s 2014 constitution when explaining that the deal only needs parliamentary review, not a referendum. “The final say on the deal, according to Article 151, should be left to parliament,” said Ahmed Khalifa, the parliamentary spokesman for the Salafist Nour Party. Hatem Patshat, member of the liberal-leaning Free Egyptian Party, said, “According to the constitution [Article 151], this kind of deal will have to be reviewed and voted on by parliament only.” The referred-to article stipulates that matters relating to the nation’s sovereignty and territorial ceding must be referred to a public referendum. “Voters must be called for referendum on the treaties related to making peace and alliance, and those related to the rights of sovereignty. Such treaties shall only be ratified after the announcement of their approval in the referendum. In all cases, no treaty may…
Egypt MPs Say Referendum Not Necessary for Red Sea Islands Agreement
April 14, 2016
