Berri Lauds Cabinet Decree, Salam Expresses Readiness to Hold Parliamentary Polls

Speaker Nabih Berri praised a cabinet decision calling on the electorate to participate in the parliamentary elections scheduled for November, as Prime Minister Tammam Salam said his government's move was aimed at sending a message that it was ready to hold the polls.

The cabinet “decree is a first step towards holding the parliamentary elections,” Berri was quoted as saying by several local newspapers that were published on Wednesday.

“It is a sign that I am right in rejecting to extend parliament's term,” he told his visitors.

The speaker reiterated his rejection for another extension, stressing that he “wasn't thinking about his personal interest in staying a speaker.”

“What's the point of extending the tenure of an assembly that does not meet to elect a president or legislate?” he asked.

The parliament has failed to find a successor to President Michel Suleiman, whose six-year term ended in May over differences on a compromise candidate.

Several blocs have boycotted the sessions aimed at electing a head of state, causing lack of quorum.

The failure to elect a president left the country's top Christian post vacant, raising fears of a bigger vacuum if the parliamentary elections were not held.

On Tuesday, Salam proposed during a cabinet session the decree calling on electoral bodies to begin preparing for polls.

While all ministers signed it, it came after the expiry of the legal deadline to publish the decree.

The constitution stipulates that there should be a 90-day period between signing the decree and holding the vote.

Accordingly, the decree should have been published before August 18 as the polls are scheduled to take place on November 16, 2014 following the 17-month extension of the parliament's term last year.

The cabinet decided to immediately publish in a special supplement with the official gazette.

Salam was quoted as saying on Wednesday that the cabinet's decision was an expression of its readiness to hold the polls.

“The 24-hour delay is a technical issue that could be bypassed,” officials close to the PM said.

The officials threw the ball in parliament's court, asking if the different parties represented in the legislature wanted to hold the elections or extend its term again.

Last week, Zahle MP Nicolas Fattoush proposed a draft-law for the extension of the parliament's term by two years and seven months, citing security reasons.

G.K.

D.A.