0 a temporary system of rules to deal with an extremely dangerous or difficult situation: --
After the floods the government declared a state of emergency.
1 an extreme condition caused by severe weather or war in which a government allows itself special powers: --
Democracy is threatened and the country finds itself in a government-declared state of emergency.
An opportunity for change in the country is provided by free parliamentary elections preceded by a lifting of the state of emergency.
It also fears that the current state of emergency may jeopardise a fragile democracy already undermined by years of political instability and corruption.
The state of emergency could then be lifted relatively quickly in the provinces in which it is still in force.
When can we expect the state of emergency to end?
This idea that there is a state of emergency but the elections should go ahead undisturbed does not hold water.
Other related decisions, such as when to declare a state of emergency or evacuate an area, may require medical input along with the expertise of other agencies.
The very threat of a state of emergency in a new democracy attests to the severity of the problem.
