Miqati Meets Berri, Refuses to Sign Decree on Extraordinary Legislative Session

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati stressed on Monday that he rejected a parliamentary session that does not include essential items on its agenda but he also refused signing a decree that calls for an extraordinary session.

“I will not sign a decree for an extraordinary session. We don't want more problems,” Miqati said after talks with Speaker Nabih Berri in parliament.

The 128-member legislature convenes twice a year in two ordinary sessions -- the first starts mid-march until the end of May and the second from the middle of October through the end of December.

Article 33 of the constitution states that the president in agreement with the prime minister may summon the parliament to extraordinary sessions by a decree that specifies the dates of the opening and closing of the sessions as well as the agenda.

“I hope we had a productive Constitutional Council to give its opinion on the legislative session,” Miqati said a few minutes before Berri postponed a three-day National Assembly to July 16 over lack of quorum caused by the boycott of the March 14 alliance's blocs and the Change and Reform bloc of MP Michel Aoun, who is a major member of the March 8 coalition.

Miqati stressed that Berri's argument over the confirmation by a consultative committee that his call for a session was constitutional was not accurate.

During both times that parliament legislated amid a resigned government, there were urgent issues on its agenda, he said.

“I currently don't believe there is a balance between the legislative and executive authorities over the presence of a caretaking cabinet,” Miqati said.

“We trust Berri in his patriotic decisions,” he added.

Miqati's visit to Berri came after the speaker told several local dailies that the parliament can legislate despite the absence of the government from the legislative session.

The caretaker premier and March 14 members argue that except for the extension of Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji’s mandate, none of the other items on the agenda are urgent to justify holding a session in the absence of a government.

Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun on the other hand strongly opposes the extension.