Minister of Planning Ashraf el Araby denied media reports on his resignation over the parliament's rejection of the civil service law.

In statements to MENA on Thursday, Araby said he respects democracy and the lawmakers' opinion.

Egypt's parliament rejected on Wednesday the controversial Civil Servants Law after 332 out of 468 MPs voted against it.

The law, which was signed by Egypt's cabinet in November 2015, has met with widespread criticism by many state employees, labor unions and other labor rights activists, who say the legislation, would destroy the long held rights such as job security, and could also push many thousands of the six million government workers out of work.

Source: MENA