Report: Berri Rejected LF, FPM Proposal to Set Electoral Law as Last Article of Legislative Session Agenda
The Lebanese Forces and Free Patriotic Movement had proposed to Speaker Nabih Berri placing the parliamentary electoral draft-law as the last article of the upcoming legislative session agenda, but the speaker had rejected it, revealed al-Mustaqbal daily on Wednesday.
Berri explained that including the article would lead to the “suspension of the entire legislative process” due to the disputes that would arise.
LF MP George Adwan and FPM MP Ibrahim Kanaan had requested that the article be included as the last article of Thursday's legislative meeting, parliamentary sources told al-Mustaqbal.
Legislative sessions are scheduled for Thursday and Friday.
The most that Berri could offer the LF and FPM is the announcement of the formation of a committee that would study the parliamentary electoral law, continued the sources.
The speaker will unveil the committee during the legislative session, they explained.
Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil told al-Mustaqbal that the LF and FPM are better off agreeing on an electoral law and proposing it before a specialized committee.
Once the committee completes studying it, a legislative session will be scheduled to discuss it, he explained.
“The electoral law is the most difficult issue at hand and we should not deal lightly with it,” stressed Khalil, who is also Berri's advisor.
“Tomorrow's session will be held and postponing it is out of the question,” he declared.
Media reports on Wednesday had spoken of the possibility of postponing the meeting over the tensions between the Christian parties boycotting the session and political blocs that are attending it.
The Christian blocs of the LF and FPM will not attend the session over the failure to include the electoral draft-law on the agenda.
The Kataeb Party will not attend the talks due to the ongoing presidential vacuum.
The dispute over the electoral law dates back to 2013 when the political parties failed to agree on a new one, resulting in parliament extending its own term and postponing the elections.
Parliament again extended its term last year over the same dispute.
M.T.
D.A.
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