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France extends state of emergency by further 7 months

Xinhua, December 14, 2016 Adjust font size:

France's National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, late on Tuesday voted in favor of extending France's state of emergency by a further seven months to cover upcoming elections.

A total of 288 members voted in favor, 32 against, while there were five abstentions.

"The intense electoral period increases the risk of acts of terrorists," said Interior Minister Bruno Le Roux.

"Terror risks of an extremely high level weighs down on France," he said.

The senate will examine the bill on Thursday. Once approved by the upper house of parliament, the state of emergency will be officially prolonged until July 15 of 2017.

French President Francois Hollande declared a state of emergency on Nov. 14, 2015, a day after the Paris terror attacks when gunmen simultaneously stormed restaurants, coffees shops, a theatre hall and a stadium in central Paris, killing 130 people.

Emergency rules, which give authorities extra powers to perform house arrests and conduct raids without a judicial warrant, were set to expire in Jan. 15.

Using emergency powers, police units have so far foiled 17 terrorist attacks with 434 people placed under custody and 600 weapons seized, according to the Interior Ministry. Endit