The House of Representatives approved on Monday, October 26, 2026, by a majority of two-thirds of its members, a mandate for President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to take the necessary measures, in coordination with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to support it and to “defend its territory, sovereignty and holy sites against any external aggression,” according to a statement the House issued after a closed session chaired by Speaker Hisham Badawi.
The House said its decision was in line with what the National Defense Council agreed in its session on October 18, 2026. The House held three sessions behind closed doors to discuss the president’s request, on October 18, 19 and 26, and MPs voted by roll call. The House did not announce the number of those who approved, rejected or abstained, and the statement did not specify the nature of the measures the mandate covers.
Article 152 of the constitution requires the approval of two-thirds of the members of the House of Representatives, after consulting the National Defense Council, to send the armed forces on a combat mission outside the state’s borders. MPs’ positions varied: the Egyptian Social Democratic Party called on its MPs to abstain, party MP Maha Abdel Nasser rejected the mandate and described it as open-ended and vague, and the head of the Wafd Party’s parliamentary bloc, Mohamed Abdel Aleem Dawoud, and independent MP Diaa El-Din Dawoud reserved their positions, while the Justice Party called on its MPs to vote in favor.
Sisi had requested the mandate on October 17, 2026, during a graduation ceremony at the Egyptian Military Academy, after a Houthi attack on Riyadh airport on October 10 that killed 12 people, including Egyptian flight attendant Azza Ramzy. Deputy Speaker Assem El-Gazzar said about 500 MPs asked to speak during the debates. Sisi said Egypt would act only if Saudi Arabia asked it to, and Saudi Arabia has not announced a formal request so far.
Photo: Abdelrhman 1990 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 4.0)
