Al-Rahi Sees No Convincing Reasons, Says Parliament Should Fix Extension 'Mistake'

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi hoped on Sunday that the Constitutional Council would take the appropriate decision against the extension of parliament's term which he said was carried out for unconvincing reasons.

“The MPs extended their term without convincing reasons and for their personal interests,” al-Rahi said in his sermon.

“We have full confidence in the Constitutional Council which would study the challenge” made by President Michel Suleiman, he said.

The legislature extended its tenure on Friday for 17 months after the rival parties failed to agree on a new vote law. The extension law was published in the official Gazette on Saturday but Suleiman challenged the move.

“We regret that the MPs did not respect the appeal of the Maronite bishops council,” al-Rahi said.

The council on Monday rejected the extension of parliament's four-year mandate without an agreement on a new electoral law.

It said the law must offer fair representation for all sides.

“The parliament should fix the mistake it made through the approval of a new vote law,” al-Rahi stressed in the sermon.

He also accused the MPs of turning the confidence granted to them by the people into a “private property.”