"The emergency law will end tomorrow and the curfew will end tomorrow," Mahmoud told a news conference after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

He said a referendum on a new constitution would be held in late December or early January. A 50-member committee is working on amending a constitution that was drafted under Morsi's presidency.

The state of emergency was imposed along with a nightly curfew that has been gradually eased. The curfew currently extends from 1am to 5am, except for Fridays, the traditional day of protest by supporters of the ousted president, when it begins at 7pm.

The armed forces have been in charge of supervising the curfew, and military checkpoints have been erected throughout Cairo and 13 other governorates.

On Tuesday, Egypt's administrative court ordered that the state of emergency be lifted at 4pm on the same day.

Cabinet spokesman Sherif Shawki had said on Tuesday that the government was waiting for the court's official notification to implement the ruling.

Similarly, military spokesman Colonel Ahmed Ali said that the army would continue to enforce the nightly curfew until it receives official notification.

Egypt has been under a state of emergency since 14 August, following the violent dispersal by security forces of two Islamist sit-ins, sparking days of unrest. Initially imposed for one month, the state of emergency was extended for two additional months on 14 September.

According to the constitutional declaration issued by Egypt's interim presidency following President Mohamed Morsi's ouster in July, the state of emergency can only be extended for more than three months if a national referendum approves the measure.

NTJ/SHI