Story highlights Extension would be the fifth since provisions were implemented after 2015 Paris attacks

Prime Minister says state of emergency is needed to protect upcoming elections

(CNN) France's Parliament is to vote next week on a six-month extension of a state of emergency to ensure the protection of upcoming presidential and general elections, Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Saturday.

The extension would be the fifth since the extraordinary provisions came into place in the wake of the Paris attacks in November 2015

Cazeneuve said public meetings and gatherings associated with the campaign "can unfortunately create a context of augmented risk of terrorist attacks for those who want to hit us at the heart of our democratic values and republican principles."

"It is thus necessary, in the eyes of the government, to include the whole electoral period in the renewal time that we ask for," he added.

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