CAIRO, Oct. 19 -- Egypt's parliament has put off until October 26 its vote on whether the army may be sent to defend Saudi Arabia, even though the MP Mostafa Bakry says no lawmaker has rejected the request.

Speaker Hisham Badawi adjourned the second emergency session on Monday, with discussion due to resume next Monday, state media reported. The vote had already slipped once, from Sunday to Tuesday, and a parliamentary source told The National that a decision could still come sooner. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi had asked on Saturday for authority to act in Saudi Arabia's defence, if Riyadh asks.

The delay matters because the request needs more than a simple majority. The constitution requires approval by two-thirds of the 596-member ...