Turkey extends state of emergency for 3 more months

Supporters of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan wave national flags as they wait for his arrival at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, April 17, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

ANKARA -- Turkey's state of emergency will be extended by an additional three months, Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said late Monday.

The state of emergency would be extended as of April 19 for three more months, with the parliament's approval, the government spokesperson Kurtulmus said after a cabinet meeting chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

He attributed the reason for the extension to the struggle against terror threats, primarily against the so-called Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) that the government accuses of staging coup attempt on July 15, 2016.

The cabinet meeting followed the National Security Council's advice to extend the state of emergency.

The National Security Council and the cabinet convened successively on Monday, one day after a public vote that confirmed governance system change from the parliamentarian one to the executive presidency.

Turkey declared a state of emergency on July 20, 2016, days after a failed military coup, which Ankara blames on the US-based exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen.

Turkey has already been under a state of emergency for nine consecutive months after a coup attempt on July 15, 2016.

Under emergency rule, the government can bypass the parliament to enact new laws and limit or suspend rights and freedoms.