With the sever power shortage Egypt passes through during the summer months, the Egyptian cabinet decided not to switch to daylight saving time this summer. The decision to cancel the practice all together is still being studied, according to an announcement made by Prime Minister Mahlab.

The cabinet previously announced that clocks would go forward one hour starting on 1 May, but suspended the decision until a national opinion poll was carried out to ask citizens whether or not they support daylight saving time. The polls, according to a cabinet statement, showed that most citizens disapprove of the practice.

Egypt first adopted daylight saving time in 1988 as a way to reduce electricity consumption, but in April 2011 the cabinet endorsed a decree to cancel changing clocks in summer, as the practice is no longer an effective method to reduce electricity consumption; the practice, however, returned in May 2014 after fuel shortages led to electricity cuts nationwide.

Source: Ahram online