The head of the Parliament Ali Abdelaal stated on Tuesday that the Parliamentary Legislative and Constitutional Committee has agreed to refer the 2016 Egyptian-Saudi maritime demarcation agreement to a general ballot from the parliament’s members (MPs).
According to state-run newspaper Al-Ahram, the approval of the Legislative and Constitutional Committee to refer the agreement to a voting ballot came after 35 members from the committee expressed approval of the agreement.
While eight members said that they refuse it, the referral of the agreement from the Parliament’s Legislative and Constitutional Committee came according to article No.151 from the 2014 Egyptian Constitution.
The maritime demarcation agreement signed between Egypt and Saudi Arabia in 2016 stipulated that sovereignty over the Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanfir should be moved over to the Saudi Authorities.
According to the constitution, the agreement will be subjected to a voting process from the Parliament’s members; it will then be referred to the Parliament’s Defense and Security Committee that will give its final stance on the agreement.
