MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The French cabinet on Wednesday tabled a draft law that aims to extend the state of emergency for another three months, the government’s spokesman Stephane Le Foll announced.
The state of emergency has been in place since a string of near-simultaneous terror attacks in Paris on November 13, 2015 killed 130 people. The law will now go before both houses of the French parliament.
"The state of emergency will be prolonged until the law on new judicial procedures [against terror suspects] is implemented. But this state of emergency is necessary and has been useful and needs to continue," Le Foll said as he made the case for the extension.
The government argues that the threat of terror attacks persists in the country. The measure has already been extended for three months. It is due to expire on February 26.
Thousands rallied across France over the weekend to protest an open-ended state of emergency, as well as the government’s plan to strip suspected terrorists of citizenship if they have a dual nationality.
